The Legend of Zelda: Welcome to Berk Redux
by Arde
Summary: A re-imagined version of my own story from five years ago. Link's travels in search of clues leading him back to his faithful companion bring him to an unfamiliar world with strange creatures ruling the skies. Despite his confusion, his spirit as a hero demands that he helps the denizens of this new world.
1. Welcome to Berk

A gentle breeze blew over the plains surrounding Hyrule Castle, or what was left of it after the clash of twilight and wrath. Slow as the restoration was, it progressed smoothly under the guidance of Princess Zelda. Naturally, the guard force had to be replenished due to the huge losses it had suffered when Zant originally invaded the kingdom. Some members of the resistance had offered to assist with this, as much as they could without any formal training. For the time being, the role of captain of the Royal Guard had been entrusted to...

"Link."

I make minimal effort to meet Zelda's gaze as she's finally found my position outside the castle's boundaries. I mean the monarch no disrespect, but I can't bring myself to look her in the eye with what I'm about to do.

"I'm surprised that you haven't left yet."

Her voice is as calm as always, but I've learned to pick up the traces of concern within her tone. Being by her side when death threatened both of us had that sort of effect, not to mention the following months I've spent acting as her right hand man while the training of the guard continued. By now, we had yet to train anyone capable of defeating myself in combat, but some have risen to the level of surpassing Rusl, which was good enough in my eyes. The shifting of Zelda's feet on the grass brings my attention back to the present, and I'm once again left with my own inability to meet Zelda's eyes.

Her impatience gets the better of her before my discomfort does, however. "Please say _something_."

Still avoiding her gaze, a sigh escapes my mouth. "I'm just going to Ordon like always."

"And that's fine," she shoots back immediately. "But if that were the case, why did you not wait for sir Rusl?."

Shit. She's right, I usually go back with him if I ever do take a trip to Ordon village, somehow I'd forgotten.

This time, it was Zelda's turn to sigh. "Link..."

"Don't," I hiss briskly.

Of course, she ignores the request and continues on. "I know what the reports say, I know what it sounds like. But please, I assure you. This is not going to go as you believe it will."

I click my tongue in frustration as the Princess continues her lecture. Since Midna had shattered the Mirror of Twilight, all gates that were once opened by Zant's shadow beasts had closed. Presumably all, at least. The first few months were relatively quiet, but recently there's been civilian reports of strange black doors suddenly appearing at dusk, and fading away just as quickly as if they were merely a hallucination. Conveniently, these reports were all contained the Gerudo Desert.

And she knows that. "Absolute silence for six months, and now we all these people coming to us about the stuff. Day after day, and you think I should just leave it?" My tipped ears begin to heat up from a mix of embarrassment at having snapped at my ruler, but also anger. Anger at who, I wonder. Maybe myself for not being ready to let go, maybe Midna for shattering the mirror. Hell, maybe even Ganondorf for starting all this to begin with.

All the while, Zelda remains silent. I still haven't met her eyes but I can feel that my outburst caught her off guard. Great, now I feel even worse. "I'm sorry," I quickly blurt out. "I have to go, Princess. Even if you're right, even if it's not her, I can't just ignore it. What if it's something even more dangerous than Zant?" The Triforce in my left hand tingles at the mention of the dark ruler. Time and time again, this gift from the goddesses spurs me into action in the bleakest of situations, regardless of the dangers.

As if sensing my thoughts, Zelda looks down to the matching mark on her right hand before flexing her fingers. She remains quiet for a moment before opening her mouth to speak. "Queen," is all she says.

"What?"

"You called me Princess. It's Queen, now." Her reply is delivered with a voice as cold as ice and catches me off guard. "And you are the captain of the Hylian Royal Guard, which means you serve me."

Goddesses be damned. I don't even have time to open my mouth in protest before her highness utters her order.

"I, Queen Zelda of Hyrule, order you to travel to the Gerudo Desert and investigate the anomaly that has ignited the hero's courage within your heart once again. And once you are done, you are to return here alive." Just as quickly as the first time, her words have be dumbstruck yet again. For the first time since our conversation has begun, I look up at the monarch, only to be met with her wet eyes, tears daring to spill out.

"Zelda..." My voice is caught in my throat, but I manage to breathe out that one word.

"Please," she huffs. "I don't want anyone else to die under my watch."

There it is. Her honestly strikes me straight through the heart like an arrow. Queen or not, she's still just a girl, only a few years older than me. I may have been fighting my own battles, but so has she. With no other option left in my heart, I kneel down and take her right hand with my left. Our Triforce pieces shine brightly as they come into contact, covering us both in a golden light that can be seen from the Castle Town.

"On my word as a knight, no matter how long it takes, I will return alive to serve by your side yet again. I swear to uphold this oath for as long as the power of the goddesses burns in my soul." I complete my oath, and I feel Zelda's fingers tense up briefly before relaxing in the rough grip of my own. A second hand is laid softly over my own as the world around us seems to slow down. We're left only with the sound of our breathing, and the soft hum of our two golden gifts.

"Go now, chosen hero of the divines. I sense that yet another quest may be beginning for you." The calm tone in her voice returns as she speaks softly, reminiscent of a saint speaking to her followers. Her declaration sends chills down my spine, but strengthens my resolve all the same.

Our hands separate and I slowly rise to my feet as the bright glow surrounding us fades away. I meet Zelda's gaze one more time before offering a resolute nod and turning away. Facing Hyrule Field, I dig out the whistle Ilia had given me months ago from my pouch and blow a familiar tune into it. Some moments later, Epona comes galloping towards me, just like always. I greet the loyal mare by stroking her soft mane before climbing atop her back. I cast another sidelong glance at Zelda before flicking the reins, urging Epona towards Lake Hylia.

Without the convenience of warping, my only option to get to the Gerudo Desert is through the air. We've begun establishing a road to the area but given its distance, the task is taking quite a while. I wouldn't dare ride Epona through that kind of climate either, so this works for me in the end. Ever since defeating Zant and Ganon, Hyrule Field is no longer plagued by an excess of monsters. The occasional Deku Baba or Bulblin can be seen, but they're swiftly executed either by Epona's hooves or my new sword; a gift from Zelda herself to commemorate my heroism. I've since sealed away the Master Sword back where it belongs, until I, or the next hero to follow me, may need it again.

I made a point to leave near the break of dawn to ensure that I reach Lake Hylia by midday at the latest. The desert gets cold at night, so I'd rather traverse it while it's still hot out. At some point during the reconstruction of Hyrule Castle, Darbus had descended down from Death Mountain to offer me a gift: an undergarment that resists high temperatures. To this day, I still have no clue how it was made, but I've taken to wearing it under my chain mail and tunic regularly. Combined with the magical hero's garment woven by the gods, I seem to be perfectly fine walking through fire now, provided I shield any exposed skin.

The trip down to the vast lake is a boring one, and I'm left to hum whatever tunes come to mind in order to pass the time. Finally, with the sun high in the sky above me, I reach a humble shack just outside the Great Bridge of Hylia; Falbi's Flight-by-Fowl. I hop down from Epona and gently pat the base of her neck, signaling that she's free to do as she wishes. I'm not concerned about her finding me again, she always does somehow. I enter the bizarre shack and immediately the familiar smell of Cucco feathers greets me. Forgoing the ladder, I hop down to the main area where Falbi is standing just like always.

"Well if this ain't a surprise!" he exclaims. "I haven't seen you in forever! Come back to play your luck, big guy?"

By now I've gotten used to Falbi's bizarre mannerisms. Hell, they're even a little welcoming after spending so much time in Hyrule Castle. "Sorry Falbi, I just need to get down to the lake. I need Fyer."

Despite the promise of no business, Falbi's cheerful expression remains. "Well, that's a shame! You've just _got_ to stop by and play one of these days, yanno?"

I just can't get mad at this guy. "I'll be sure to. Sorry, but do you mind if I glide down there?"

Just as quickly, Falbi jumps to the side, giving me access to the platform leading down to the lake. "No trouble at all, mister hero! Just come on by some other time, okay?"

I reassure him before picking up one of the wandering Cuccos. As usual, it flails incessantly in my hands, but is more or less incapable of getting away. I take a running start before leaping off the narrow platform and begin my slow descent down to the same place where Fyer is always waiting.

The downcast clown's expression lights up at the sight of me. Whether it's because he's happy to see me or he knows he's getting business is another matter, but frankly one that I'm satisfied leaving as a mystery.

"Been a while, huh, pal." I'm sure news of my status as a hero's reached even down here at some point, but Fyer still greets me as casually as ever. It's a refreshing break from all the fanfare and formalities that I usually can only get back in Ordon.

"You look well, Fyer." Well, as good as he usually does. "I'll be needing an oasis flight."

He raises his eyebrows, but his sly grin hasn't left his face. "Oasis, eh? Got some more business up there?" He waves his hand before I can answer. "Well, none of my business anyways." He steps aside to allow me entry into the huge cannon, still as dark and intimidating as ever. I toss him a yellow rupee on my way in, which he catches with glee and immediately pockets.

The huge door shuts behind me and I hear the trademark carnival music, signaling that I have a few more seconds to brace myself as the cannon spring to life and begins to rumble underneath me. To be honest, I'm not too fond of using this cannon, but I've been through worse. I hear a loud clunk and the cannon stops shaking, which means it's about to fire. Protected by my divine garb, I simply cross my arms over my chest to limit the friction from the wind. A loud "boom" resonates throughout the chamber of the cannon and I'm sent hurtling through the air towards the far off desert.

Some minutes after hitting the peak of my arc, I notice the desert sands getting closer, indicating that I need to brace for a landing. I quickly whip around in the air, freeing the Hylian shield from my back and onto my right arm. I hold it beneath my feet to serve as a landing pad. I hit the sand rough as always, sending a shock through my legs, but the shield allows me to surf along the surface of the desert for a little bit, giving me time to recover. Once my momentum has run out, I step off of the shield and return it to its place upon my back.

I take a deep breath as the hot desert air fills my lungs and reminds me of my time hunting down the mirror shards here. "Alright." The first location I've decided to search is the Cave of Ordeals, where Midna and I had originally recaptured a Twilight Gate. It seems most likely that would be the cause of these supposed doors appearing around the desert. Fortunately, there are more boars around the area now that they're not being held in Bulblin camps, so the trip won't be as tiring. I climb on top of one relatively nearby and spur it in the side with the heel of my boot.

The beast rears back for a moment before charging off in the direction that I've goaded it into, forcing me to cling tightly to the shoddy attempt of a saddle strapped to its back. Nonetheless, after some time I find myself in front of the rock formation that leads up to the Cave of Ordeals. I hop off the boar's back, prompting it to march off and go about its own business. For the time being, everything seems natural, prompting me to investigate further. I don't have the clawshots with me anymore, so I'm forced to climb up the large structure with my own two hands. It takes me some minutes, but I manage to reach the top, standing before the entrance that leads down into the accursed cave.

I had spent some time braving the challenges put forth by this cave after defeating Ganondorf. Eventually, I had reached the bottom and been rewarded by the Great Fairy for my efforts. I pray that I won't have to fight my way down to the base of the dungeon yet again before stepping in carefully, looking around every so often for any signs of abnormalities.

I carry myself through the same motions I've done hundreds of times, cleaving through savage beasts and monsters alike until I find my way down to the tenth floor of the cave, the first resting place of the Great Fairy. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion when I notice that the spirit is nowhere to be found. I slowly walk towards the center of the room where her shallow pool resides. I didn't originally notice it from afar given the dark room, but as I draw closer, it's apparent that something is wrong. The modest spring has turned into a deep abyss filled with dark, murky water. It's not as severe as the massive walls that separated the Twilight from the light, but I can notice particles rising from the pool.

I take a moment to steel my senses before stepping up to the edge of the pool, prepared to delve in, even if it meant becoming a wolf again. The Triforce once again burns in my hand, encouraging me to press on. I lift my foot from the edge and take one step forward, allowing myself to fall in. I grit my teeth in expectation of the pain that always came with shifting to my wolf form, but instead I'm met with an unfamiliar pressure. I open my eyes and look around only to see flames surrounding me, baptizing me in a warm fire. It doesn't hurt, only baffles me. The pressure, on the other hand, weighs down on me and begins to make it hard to breathe. Struggling to keep my eyes open, I slip further and further into the unknown limbo before me until my senses are overwhelmed.

* * *

Fatigue. That's all I can feel right now. I've finally regained consciousness and find myself not in the Cave of Ordeals, nor the bizarre wasteland that is the Twilight World, but instead the sensation of regular grass beneath my fingers. I lay on the ground a few moments longer before opening my eyes to confirm what I was feeling, and just as I thought, I'm resting atop grass. A forest expands beyond my sight, loaded with dense foliage and tall trees.

But this isn't Hyrule.

Everything's wrong about it. The grass is taller and even greener than that belonging to the forests of Hyrule. The trees before me are ones that I've never seen in all my time exploring the Faron region. Even the air feels different. I take a deep breath and a new smell graces my nostrils. I can smell moisture, but not like that of the Zora region; it's salty as if I had suddenly found myself by the sea. I take another breath and this time, the smell of smoke overtakes my attention. My body immediately tenses up and the hairs on my arm stand on ends. I quickly whip around and notice that I've been laying on a cliff-side, but more importantly, there's a village before me.

A burning village. I spring up from the ground and take off in the direction of the village with reckless abandon. After defeating Ganondorf, Zelda and I had discussed the nature of our Triforce pieces. As it happens, I bear the Triforce of Courage, which allows me to bear any burden and face any adversary without wavering, but it has another aspect to it. In the immediate face of danger, it strengthens my entire being. The divine power flows through my legs and allows me to charge much faster than any person normally would. As I get closer to the village, the smell of ash and smoke is overwhelming, but I'm still not deterred.

The new stimuli hits me in the face like a crashing wave; the people all around me are massive, some the size of Gorons. Their ears are rounded unlike that of Hylians, leading me to believe that they're human, just like the people of Ordon. And yet they're all so much bigger. The armor they're wearing is just as strange, almost primitive. Their weapons are weathered and brutal, even their swords are a far cry from the elegance my own blade bears. The houses around me are made in a similar fashion to the ones back home, but the differences in architecture are striking. Before I'm allowed to take in more of the confusing sights around me, a deafening roar brings my attention to the skies.

I look up and my skin pales as a gasp catches in my throat. The sky is filled with winged beasts, soaring back and forth. Their precise forms were unfamiliar to me, but it didn't take much knowledge to know that these were what legends called "dragons." The last and only dragon I had ever seen was Argorok, the beast terrorizing the City in the Sky which Midna had described as an overgrown bird. Most of these creatures above me were smaller than it by a large margin, but I could see a couple in the distance that drew close, maybe even rivaling his size.

In the midst of my confusion, I see one of the beasts setting its sights on me, the stationary target. It's a blue reptile with a large head, and a body lined with spines and boasting a dizzying speed to match. I don't have time to stand around and gawk anymore. The hero's spirit within me spurs me into action yet again and I dive to the side to avoid the flame spewing from the dragon's mouth. Missing its target, it returns to the skies to presumably search for another one.

I have so many questions, but this is no time to stop anyone to ask. Every direction I look, there's not a single soul cowering in fear. Every person has a weapon in hand and is poised to fight, regardless of the obvious disadvantage they're at. There's a woman covered head to toe in light armor hurling axes at a brown beast with an almost comically shaped body. A man wearing what could only be described as a leather tunic chasing after a much smaller almost lizard-like creature with a mace in hand. A blacksmith handing out weapons left and right to a seemingly endless line of people. The largest of them all, a burly man with a full red beard marches out of what appeared to be another blacksmith's shop, holding an axe larger than my torso.

"Oi, what's a scrawny runt like yourself doin' standin' around?!" A loud voice from behind interrupts my thoughts. Even though I had spurred myself to action, it looks like I still ended up gawking at the sights around me. "Get indoors or do somethin' with that sword at yer back!" The man quickly chastised me and ran off in the same direction as the bearded man from earlier. I shake my head and push the confusion to the back of my mind for now. My fingers wrap around the hilt of the royal sword, my body still flowing with courage. The sword sings as I free it from the metal sheath designed specifically to hone it every time it's drawn. Like clockwork, I'm immediately forced to dodge another plume of fire, this time from a larger red dragon with long sharp talons. I quickly regain my footing and charge off where the majority of the people seem to be heading.

That is until something else catches my attention. A small boy, even shorter than me compared to the rest of these people, running out from the blacksmith shop that I had observed earlier. No weapons, no armor, just the same reckless abandon that anyone looking at me would see. The difference between us, however, is that he may die.

I change my direction immediately and run towards him, grabbing him by the collar just in time to throw him out of the way of a puff of fire from above. I crouch down, covering my face and hands as the hail of fire rains down on me, spreading out around me thanks to the metal shield on my back and the enchanted garb protecting me. Assuming it had sufficiently roasted me, the beast descends to claim its kill, the same species as the very first one I had encountered, except a vibrant purple this time. From my crouched position, I roll to avoid the talons aimed at my mid section and neck. Springing up just as quickly, I carry my sword along the underside of the beast, drawing viscous blood out from the wound. It's not dead yet, but its desire to live spurs to fly away from me as quickly as it can. Cursing my lack of the Hero's Bow, I'm forced to let it fly off.

My attention is brought back to the boy I had tossed from earlier. I open my mouth to chastise him just as I would Colin, but his astonished look interrupts any thought that I had. This boy was staring at me in absolute awe as if I were a deity. The look catches me off guard as my memory is brought back to the kids of Ordon watching with glee as I showed them how to use a sword. Brushing aside the distant thoughts, I sigh and sheath my sword before helping the young boy to his feet.

"That was- You-" He can't seem to form a cohesive sentence, be it from shyness or amazement. He swallows before straightening out his back and finally asking, "how did you do that?"

This isn't Hyrule. People won't know me as a hero, just a strange man clad in green that appeared to come from nowhere. Keeping this in mind, I pick my words carefully. "I'll answer any questions you have about me, but first I need to know; where am I?"

The question seems to catch the boy off guard, but he quickly scans my clothing before speaking. "This is Berk."

"Berk?" What kind of name is that? The brief answer puts the final nail in the coffin, assuring me that I'm nowhere in Hyrule anymore. I've read every map a hundred times, and even looked into the surrounding areas on occasion in case a new threat presented itself. Not once did I ever come across the name "Berk."

"You know, Berk," he continues. "Viking village, cliff-side terror-" His explanation is interrupted by another blast of fire, this time some distance behind me. He still jumps nonetheless, and my hand twitches as I almost grab for my sword again. "Dragon problem." He chuckles at an attempt of easing the mood and apparently calming himself down, but his expression falls once again when the confusion on my face is still present. "You... really don't know where this is?"

I shake my head quietly. The boy glances around before running back into the shop, gesturing for me to join him. He picks up a sword off the ground and takes it to a grindstone, but he begins talking anyways. "Alright, let me start over. This is Berk; It's twelve days north of hopeless and a few degrees south of freezing to death." He's an animated story teller, as he waves around his free hand accordingly, keeping the other on the sword he's sharpening.

"It's located solidly on the Meridian of Misery. My village, in a word? Sturdy." He pulls the sword from the grindstone to check its sharpness before pressing it back to the spinning wheel. "It's been here for seven generations, but every single building is new. We have fishing, hunting, and a charming view of the sunsets. The only problems are the pests."

I have a grasp of where this story is going, but I let him continue his monologue nonetheless. "You see, most places have mice or mosquitoes. We have-" He pauses to gesture outside, bringing my attention to a large dark red beast setting a building ablaze. "Dragons," he continues. "Most people would leave; not us. We're vikings. We have... stubbornness issues." He scoffs as I continue to take in his account of this unfamiliar land.

"My name's Hiccup," he says, switching up the focus of his explanation now. He notices the puzzled response I have to his name and laughs, "great name, I know. But it's not the worst." He pulls the sword off from the grindstone and puts it on a table behind him. He walks over to a rack and picks up a much larger axe, struggling with it as he carries it over to the same grindstone. "Parents believe a hideous name will frighten off gnomes and trolls. Like our charming viking demeanor wouldn't do that." He mutters the last part.

"Tell me about these beasts, then." I walk over to the sword he had freshly sharpened and check the temper in an attempt to pinpoint what kind of culture I'm dealing with here.

"Ah well, got your priorities straight I see," he drones. "Can't blame you though. Killing a dragon is everything around here. Now, a Nadder head is sure to get you at least noticed." He nods in the direction of one of the spiny dragons that I had familiarized myself with earlier. He turns his attention towards a more stubby, brown dragon that looks like something you'd find in a Goron village. "Gronckles are tough. Taking down one of those would definitely get me a gir- uh... get you some... admirers."

I'm beginning to get the impression that he's talking about his own expectations here, but I keep my mouth shut and listen on. I put down the sword, seeing as how it's given me enough information. To be frank, it's poorly made. It looks like it'd shatter upon contact with anything hard enough to deflect it. The edge is sharp, but unpolished and uneven. I'm questioning whether or not it's even steel or just cheap iron. Regardless, it seems apparent that whoever these people are, they're far less advanced than Hylians are.

The boy who called himself Hiccup continues on with his breakdown of the dragons around us. "A Zippleback?" He points to a bizarre two-headed monster with necks longer than a Kargaroc's body. "Two heads; twice the status." Another dark red dragon swoops down to attack what appears to be a tower fitted with a catapult, this being one of the few dragons comparing to Argorok's size. "And then, there's the Monstrous Nightmare. Only the best vikings go after those. They have this nasty habit of setting themselves on fire." Like clockwork, the beast's entire body goes up in an armor of flame as it crawls up the base of the tower, where the large bearded man I stopped earlier was standing. Rather than running, the man swings his hammer at it haphazardly, bashing it across the face twice before it has a chance to bite at him.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little impressed, but I've little time to admire the effort as the boy continues talking. "But the ultimate prize is the one dragon no one's ever seen." I raise an eyebrow at the peculiar statement. "We call it the-"

Before he can finish his sentence, an unfamiliar sound catches his attention. It's indescribable to me, and all my senses cry out imminent danger. The shrill sound of the very wind shearing serves as a warning for all the people in the village.

"Night Fury!" I hear someone shout. Before the man even finishes his last syllable, another voice cries out, "get down!"

Not even a second later, an explosion strikes a distant tower. The blast is so potent that I can see the purple shockwave from here. I stop breathing for a moment and the Triforce threatens to burn a hole in my hand to keep my fear from mounting.

Hiccup's explanation rouses me from my stupor. "This thing never steals food, never shows itself and-" The sound again. With even less warning this time, the same explosion strikes the tower again, this time bringing it to crumble. "Never misses," he finishes.

Even the power of the Triforce doesn't stop a cold sweat from coating my forehead. I haven't felt this fear in a while, but this beast certainly deserves it. In the short time I've been here, none of these creatures compare to what I just saw. A blast that powerful could rip my shield right out of my hand, assuming it doesn't just shatter both the slab of metal and my arm in one go. The sheer speed of which it seems to fire off a second shot baffles me. I'd die, I'd surely die.

I close my eyes for a brief moment and memories of all the hellish creatures I've carved through in the past flash through my mind, ironically calming me. I can't count how many times I've thought "I'll die" while on my adventure. I've witnessed power that toppled Hyrule Castle like it was nothing, and still lived to tell the tale. These thoughts slow my heart beat and calm me down, prompting the Triforce to cease its burning sensation. I bring myself back to reality only to see Hiccup fumbling about with a large contraption, appearing to be a small wooden cannon.

"What are you doing?"

"No one has _ever_ killed a Night Fury." Is he really still wrapped up in his idea of fame? "That's why I'm going to be the first."

I've seen Gorons less thick-headed than this kid. He bolts out the shop with his contraption on wheels before I can stop him. As I run out to pursue him the same purple dragon I had slashed through before lands in front of me, its eyes red and filled with rage. I only have an instant to drop behind my shield before it lets out a stream of fire. The shield heats up, but it holds. Noticing that its surprise attack was foiled, the beast attempts to take flight again.

"No you don't!" I huff out before leaping, barely managing to grab onto its leg. It roars and fusses in protest, but has no time to wrench me off before I pull myself onto its back, being careful to avoid the many sharp spines adorning its spine. I feel it beginning to twist in an attempt to force me off, but there's no time. I draw my sword and slash at its left wing in one fluid motion, eliciting a cry of pain from the creature. It's going down now, but I'm not stopping my assault. I take another strike at its remaining wing to ensure that there's no chance of it escaping. It crashes into the dirt, my extra weight preventing it from making a proper landing. Not wasting another moment, my blade finds its mark deep in the beast's skull, drawing out one final roar before it falls limp.

The skirmish over, I let out a breath of relief and return my sword to its sheath, flicking off the blood first. There are some gawking at me, others commending my effort, but the majority of the people here are still focused at the main task at hand; preserving their village. I look around for the boy before hearing the telltale sound of the wind shearing yet again. My grip on my shield tightens in case the strike is aimed for me. Another explosion rings out in the distance, this time at a metal tower. In the midst of the resulting flame, I catch a glimpse of a shadow falling towards the forest along with a pained yelp.

I'm not the only one confused, as I see some of the so-called "vikings" that took cover now looking around in the same direction to determine what just happened. Suddenly, I think back to Hiccup's proclamation just moments ago and change the focus of my search instead from the dragon to the boy.

No. You cannot be serious. My brain won't allow me to believe that this symbol of death itself was brought down by that kid. And yet, my vision locks itself onto a small figure in the distance jumping in celebration, the silhouette of his contraption next to him, albeit looking different now. Despite my bewilderment, I can't stop the corners of my mouth from raising into a smile. "The kid actually did it," I mutter to myself. This reminds me of when Colin saved Beth, even if the situation is different.

But not everyone's as impressed as I am. Namely, not the dragons. I notice one climbing over the edge of the cliff that Hiccup's standing on and suddenly my body is an arrow. Silently thanking my enhanced speed, I push my legs to their limits as Hiccup pushes his in an attempt to escape from the beast. It's in full view now, and it's the one that he had described as a "nightmare." Hiccup finds a hiding place behind a reinforced pillar, which at least blocks him from the onslaught of fire. It's not done, though. I can see the overgrown reptile attempting to creep around the pillar, and hasten myself even further. I'm not the only one; I can see someone running towards Hiccup in the corner of my eye. I'm faster, though. The maw of the beast opens to strike at the cowering boy, but my shield collides with its snout first, sending it careening back.

"Move!" I howl at him. I'm standing between the huge beast and the boy now, sword and shield raised. I don't look back to see whether or not he heeded the warning, as the dragon before me doesn't seem to be too happy about being battered with metal. It roars furiously before its entire body goes up in flames, once again donning its infernal armor.

I've dealt with this situation once before when I was forced to defeat Darbus' Twilit-cursed form, so I don't feel much fear or tension mounting within me. But nonetheless, this thing is faster and I can't ignore that. I let it strike first, an invitation it gleefully takes. The Nightmare lunges forth with a predictable bite, but catches me off guard by immediately turning to lash at me with its tail. I throw up my shield and catch the blow, sending vibrations through my arm.

I grit my teeth and grunt, but that's it. This dragon is strong for sure, but my shield absorbs most of the force. It's definitely intelligent, as it tries to take advantage of the brief time I'm spending recoiling by spewing flames. My right arm is still numb from blocking the tail, so I can't raise it quickly enough. I drop to the ground in an instant, the flames passing just over me. I hear a gasp of surprise behind me, but no screams, so I'm free to continue fighting. The dragon notices my position on the ground and breaths in again, but I'm already on the move. I push myself off the ground and charge straight under the beast's wing. The action catches it off guard, but my target is clear. My blade makes an arc in the air above me and cleaves off the entirety of the wing at the base, eliciting a shrill howl from its owner.

"Not yet!" I respond in kind with my own war cry. Despite losing a wing, the dragon attempts to take flight, lopsided from the lack of balance. Its other wing is revealed to me and I quickly take my stance for a Jump Strike. My feet leave the group and my first slash rips through the flesh of its wing, impeding any slim chance of escape the creature had. The second overhead strike cleaves off a section of the appendage and draws out another roar of pain. Only left with hind legs as support, the dragon's head crashes to the ground, narrowly missing me as I jump out of the way. I leap into the air, sword raised with intent of delivering a Finishing Blow. The beast looks up at me with what little strength it has left as my entire body falls towards the center of its skull.

But all I see is fear.

There's no rage, no fury, not even confusion.

Only fear.

"Wait," I gasp. But it's too late. By the time I realized my mistake, the royal sword's already found its place through its head, just like before.

I stand over the head in silent shock for a moment, but a deafening roar of cheers bursts from around me. I pull my sword out and sheathe it quickly, not even remembering to wipe away the blood covering it.

That wasn't right. That wasn't right.

My thoughts are racing and each one is screaming at me in objection of what I had just done.

They're not supposed to look at me like that. Nothing ever has. Every Deku Serpent keeps trying to kill until the moment it turns into ash. The humanoid Bulblins always howl and curse up until their death. Even the intelligent bosses I've slaughtered don't look at me like that.

So why did you?

My hands are shaking, but the cheers around me continue. Someone pats me on the back so hard that I almost fall over. It's all too much and I feel like I'm about to vomit. But the crowd begins to quiet down at the peak of my anxiety, and the soft burning of the Triforce calms me down ever so slightly. I turn around and I see the bearded man from earlier walking towards me. He's much bigger than I thought, almost as tall as Darbus and certainly as strong looking.

I'm expecting questions, but receive none. Only a soft and low, "thank you."

My mouth is probably still open from my previous thoughts, and all I can do is blink in response. He stutters a bit, but continues.

"For saving... my son."

Your son? I shift my gaze towards Hiccup, who was not-so-discretely trying to escape from the situation. "He is _your_ son?"

The man glances over at the boy, who offers a wry smile in response, now that he can't get away. The father's expression falls and the mood changes.

An awkward pause lingers over everyone before Hiccup blurts out, "okay but I hit a Night Fury."

Any tension breaks as the large man marches over and picks up his son by the collar of his clothes and begins carrying him off, sounds of protest fading into the distance. Once again, I'm left by my lonesome with the conflicting thoughts that had bubbled up after killing that dragon. Or I would be if not for the large crowd that had gathered around me.

I'm bombarded with questions and praise yet again, a feeling that I'm frankly not used to. I notice an opening in the crowd and slip through, chasing after Hiccup and his father. The people behind me don't make much attempt to catch up, but even if they wanted to, I'd still be outrunning them. As I get close to the duo again, it sounds like he's being chastised, albeit understandably so. Not interested in eavesdropping, I clear my throat loudly enough to interrupt them. They both turn to face me, Hiccup looking grateful that he doesn't have to endure any more of the lecture.

"Are you the leader of this village?" Applying Goron knowledge to these people, I assume that the largest one must be the chief.

"Aye, that I am." He steps away from his son to properly face me. Seems that they're not as primitive as I had previously assumed; at the very least they had manners. "Stoick the Vast. Chief of Berk. And you are?"

I draw my sword and thrust it into the dirt between us, keeping a grip on its hilt. In the months I've spent under Zelda's watch, I've gotten used to this formal greeting that I didn't even realize the possible difference in customs. "I am Link. Captain of the Hyrule Castle Royal Guard and sworn protector of Prince-" I clear my throat to correct myself. "Queen Zelda."

My introduction falls on deaf ears, however. "Hyrule? Queen Zelda? Are those names I should know?"

Ah. I'd forgotten in all the chaos. If I've never heard of their village, of course I should expect that they may not know where Hyrule is. I attempt to think of an excuse, before Hiccup cuts in for me.

"Oh, I've heard all about it, dad, don't worry. It's uh... across the sea!"

Farore's mercy, he's bad at lying. And yet-

"Across the sea, is it?" Stoick turns back to me. "What brings you to Berk then?"

My turn to lie. "I was traveling to a distant island on behalf of my Queen, but it seems that I got caught up in a storm and drifted here. My boat was destroyed and I washed up on the shore. I happened to find your village by chance." I can see the skepticism on his face, but he doesn't seem wary of me.

"I'm not sure I get it, but what I do get is you saved my son and even killed a Monstrous Nightmare. That earns you a place here." Despite his huge size, the man appears to be quite warm towards others, at least when he wants. I initially think about rejecting his offer, but remember the bizarre circumstances that brought me here in the first place. I've no concept of where in the world I am, and I can't even contact Zelda like this. Perhaps staying here to gather information is for the best.

"Thank you." I pull my sword from out of the dirt and return it to its sheath, prompting a strong nod from the massive chief. My mind left idle yet again, the dragon I had just killed is brought back to the forefront. "If you don't mind me asking..." I can't be so blunt as to inquire about what I just saw, but I can at least try to broaden my horizons. "That attack just now. Is that a common occurrence?"

Stoick's entire body heaves as he lets out a heavy sigh. "Aye, unfortunately. The devils seem to attack us about once a week now, but it's not always that high in numbers. I don't know what they're after, but we have to find a way to put an end to their constant assaults."

Zelda's words resonate in my head as he continues on. I don't know much about these creatures, but I know this village needs help. Perhaps if I get directly involved here, I can piece together more information about why I've been brought here as well.

"As a knight, I can't turn a blind eye if your village is in need." I shift my tone to the formal commanding presence I had built up over the past six months, catching both Stoick and his son off guard. "Let me help defend your village from the dragon threat." I pull off one of my gauntlets and hold out my hand towards the burly chief. He looks at it for little more than a second before meeting me with his own firm grasp.

"If you can fight like that, they won't stand a chance."

I nod in response before pulling back my hand and putting the gauntlet back on. I can't keep thinking about the dragon forever. Whether or not they're malevolent, it doesn't change the fact that this village is under attack by those same creatures. Whether I've been brought here by chance or by the will of the goddesses isn't a concern in my mind. The hero's spirit burns within me, even if these people aren't my own. I've made up my mind, and my new quest presents itself.

I will protect these people.


	2. Knight's Honor

As vast a difference between night and day, the village has already been extinguished from the overnight attack. These people move quick, despite their size, that's for damn sure. Although I can't see it from here past all the trees, I can tell that dawn is breaking on the horizon. Deeming it to be awkward to simply stand around while everyone works on restoration, I've found myself a nearby perch overseeing the village. I watch as everyone buzzes about, as if they hadn't just been attacked. Confusing as the sight is, it's admirable if nothing else.

After my brief introduction with the chief of the village, he quickly muttered something about finding living arrangements for me and disappeared without a trace. I've been trying to pick him out of the crowd, to no avail. My only assumption is that he's picking an area outside of my field of view. To be honest, I wouldn't mind if he had simply given me a tent and a warm blanket, but I wasn't offered much time to protest. With little familiarity of the people here or their customs, my own thoughts are the simplest company I could have at the moment. Every now and then, the thought of the dragon I had killed resurfaces. I still feel bad, but there's nothing I can do about it now besides learn.

And there's the problem. I don't know nearly enough about this place. Hyrule's monsters are simple, even if they're new to me. These beasts on the other hand- no, these dragons. They're unique and they all seem to be powerful in their own regard. I'm not even sure if the dragons I saw last night comprise of the entire species; something tells me they don't even scratch the surface.

Of course, there's still the question of how I even got here. What I saw in the Cave of Ordeals was definitely Twilight, but this world has no sign of it. I scratch the back of my head in frustration, jostling my cap slightly. I have no choice but to take this one question at a time, despite what I'd like to do.

"Would love to have Zelda's piece right now," I mutter to no one in particular, rubbing the back of my left hand. I scoff at my own helplessness, but it's unfortunately true. Between the daily tasks I used to get from Fado or the mayor Bo, to Midna's carefree guidance through Hyrule, and even Zelda's instructions during my short time as a knight, I'm not used to not knowing what to do. Despite this, I can't help but feel restless, as if I should be doing something to help.

Frustration and boredom gets the better of me and I stand up for the first time since I've made my way to this resting area. The village is some distance down from me, but I can make it down rather safely by jumping around the cliffside. I move forward to leap down to the first ledge I see before being stopped by a chill running down my spine. It's the same feeling I used to get when a monster spotted me, but I've grown to learn that the sensation simply means I'm being watched. I turn around, but my eyes fall only upon the foliage. There's no rustling in the trees or on the ground, and I can't see anything lurking in the shadows. Had I been able to turn into my wolf form, I could probably sharpen my senses to look around, but it's a useless endeavor as a Hylian. Clicking my tongue in frustration, I decide to give up the short lived search and hop down. I can't help but feel like I heard a mischievous giggle as I jumped down.

After a few well placed leaps from ledge to ledge, the cliff seems to be less steep and I'm able to slide the rest of the way down it. Even the boots that I obtained with the rest of my hero's garb are enchanted, so I don't have to worry about the material wearing down as I surf down the rocky formation. I reach the bottom where the village is located in a matter of some dozen seconds, and push off from the protrusion. I get some immediate looks, be it out of recognition for my fight earlier, or simply confusion at my "entrance." Brushing them aside, I walk through the village unsure of what I'm looking for, but the long strides I'm taking would fool anyone watching.

Without thinking, my legs carried me back to the blacksmith shop where I had first met the chief's son. I think a few people might have been trying to call out to me on the way here, but not knowing my name makes it harder to pin me down for a conversation. I don't see the small boy, not that I had expected to. Instead, a large man with what appears to be a wooden leg and a hammer for an arm is there, working away at some metal. I wander in aimlessly, and the soft creaking of the wood alerts him to my presence.

Before even turning around fully, he proclaims loudly, "Hasn't anyone ever taught you to say something when you-" He stops mid-sentence when he looks at my face. "Ah. You're not Hiccup."

You don't say.

"You're that new lad that came in overnight, aren't you?" His accent is thick and heavy, but it's nothing I can't understand, especially considering the many different regions of Hyrule I'd traveled to. "That's a good thing you did for Hiccup, saving his life and all. Even nicer of you, considering you just met him."

Goddesses, you're blunt. Ah, I should probably respond to him before he thinks I'm suspicious, just aimlessly wandering around his shop.

"I didn't want to see anyone die," I answer honestly. The force that spurred my legs into motion was the same one that dragged me out of my comfort in Ordon and across Hyrule to save a kingdom full of people that I had never known.

He chuckles softly, but not out of mockery. "Well, there are worse reasons to fight a dragon." He turns away from his previous work and faces me straight on for the first time since our conversation has begun. "You're not from 'round here, then, are you?"

"How'd you know?" I think out loud with a scoff.

"Oh, you know." He takes a moment to scan my clothes up and down. "Just a hunch."

Right.

"Well, not my business. What can I get for you? You look like you're trying to find something."

He's a perceptive one, I'll give him that. Even so, I don't even know why I walked down here. Ugh, I can't just stand here forever. "I uh, was looking for that kid from before."

"Oh, him?" He waves his arm as if to swat away the very thought of him. "Don't worry, he's just up brooding in his house."

I can't imagine why. "I see," I mutter listlessly. Perhaps I can talk to the chief then. I haven't seen him in quite a few hours, so perhaps he'll have some information for me. Or at the very least, he can tell me where I'll be sleeping. "Then, do you know where the chief is?"

"Knowing him, he's probably already in the Great Hall preparing for the meeting. You can head over there if you like, maybe he'll let you sit in too." The man trots off back to his forge, the sound of his wooden leg resonating against the floor.

He seems busy, anyways, so I best leave him be. I walk out of the humble shop and look out upon the village, still taking in the high energy area as everyone is moving from place to place. I don't even notice the stares this time, as the scenery of this cliffside settlement reminds me of Kakariko Village. I had a good view of the place from my vantage point, but it's so much different being down here during the day and seeing it directly.

I'm getting sidetracked again. That guy back there said the chief would be in the Great Hall. I'm not sure where that is, but I'm sure I can find it with enough time, even if I can't read the signs here. Come to think of it, I didn't get his name. I'll be sure to do that later when he doesn't seem so busy. For now, I should get out of the middle of the village. I'm probably blocking some people's paths. Without any real sense of direction, I start walking.

The Great Hall could be anywhere. Hyrule Castle was located north of the town, while in Kakariko, the closest thing they had to a hall was at the very south end of the town. Back in Ordon, Mayor Bo's house was at the center of the village, if you included the ranch. The main chamber of the Gorons was at the heart of that goddess-forsaken mountain, too, so I might as well start with the center of the village.

The boy from before mentioned that every building in this village was new. I had thought that was an exaggeration, but I'm reconsidering that line of thought now. House after house, shop after shop, all of them seem to have a fresh coat of paint laid overtop wood that doesn't appear to have aged a day. The only signs of longevity anywhere are some burn marks here and there. Whether they're a product of the most recent dragon attack or more distant ones is beyond me. Part of me is impressed, while the other part is wracked with confusion.

Not many people are actually walking up to say anything to me, thankfully. I'm beginning to think that the looks I was getting was more due to my outfit rather than my heroics. After all, killing a dragon must be a common occurrence here. If only I could be as enthusiastic as the rest of them seem to be about it. I laugh wryly at the mental critique towards myself, slightly lamenting Midna not being here to lighten the mood with a joke or quip. That reminds me, I haven't turned into a wolf since she left. Painful as the transformation is, I can't deny that it has its benefits. After all, if Midna _was_ in Hyrule, I could have found her easily as a beast. Her scent is practically engraved in my mind given how much time she spent on my back.

Why am I thinking of Midna anyways? I shake my head and dispel the cloud of thoughts distracting me for the time being. At least I try to. I opt to focus on the buildings around me to avoid thinking of anything unnecessary, but I can't help but be reminded of everyone back at Ordon. Goddesses, how I wish I had Epona with me right now. Something tells me that even she wouldn't be able to find me if I called her right now. According to Zelda and Shad, the last hero before me had some magic he used to get around easier. Maybe I should try learning some myself.

Ah whatever, I'll just walk faster. Hastening my steps, I pass by even more buildings that give off the impression of being freshly built. The houses I'm passing by are starting to get bigger, too, which is probably a good sign. Eventually, I come to a building far larger than the others, and with two extravagant stone statues adorning doors possibly twice my size. Out of each building I've passed, it seems to be the oldest one, too. This is definitely it. I walk up the long set of stairs, the sound of my steps mixing in with the hustle and bustle of the village around me. Despite being at the center of the village, this is rather isolated, probably due to its elevated position above the rest. Reaching the entrance, I struggle for just a moment to push open the huge doors.

I'm greeted with a breathtaking sight, but for all the wrong reasons. If Hyrule Castle were to be called a great keep, this would be more like barracks. It's huge, but primitive. The huge pillars jutting out from the floor block one's view of the interior at several spots. The stone is at least an improvement from the wooden make of the other buildings if dragons are a common occurrence, but it's unpolished and cracked in areas here and there. In the center of a hall is a massive wooden roundtable with a bonfire illuminating the chamber at its center. At least they understand how to prevent fires, since the wood is blocked off from the fire by a wall of rocks. The most extravagant part of this room is the dragon-shaped mounds attached to the massive pillars spread throughout the room, as well as the colorful paintings adorning the walls.

Damn, spending the last half year in the castle really changed my expectations. I'd be amazed at something like this back when I was still the naive farm boy at Ordon. Maybe I should spend some time with the Gorons to humble myself up after this. All the same, I walk further into the Great Hall, occasionally looking around to see if there's any details I missed. The paintings on the wall all seem to be depicting events, but I can't pick them out since I'm unfamiliar with this place's history. As I turn to look at another painting, I catch sight of the massive chief further back in the hall, quite some distance away from the roundtable, rolled up maps clenched in his right hand.

I approach him almost soundlessly, the soft shifting of leather against chainmail being the only indication of my presence. He turns slightly to cast a sidelong glance at me, but remains mostly focused on the map board before him fixed into place with small daggers.

"I've heard you're having a meeting today." The soft tone of my voice cuts through the silence of the massive chamber, echoing off the walls.

"Aye, that I am. We need a plan to stop these beasts before they wipe us out." He turns his head to speak to me more directly before continuing. "Will you be joining us?"

I nod in affirmation, the tense look on his face softening a little. If I want to help these people, what better way than helping them set a plan in motion? I've never been the best at strategizing on a large scale, but working with Telma and serving under Zelda's shown to me that once I have a direction and an instruction, I can raise hell. Not to mention, I'm more than capable of defeating something without killing it. King Bulblin is ample proof of that.

"Well, you're plenty early." He turns back to his map board, still engaged in conversation with me. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I asked you some things to pass the time."

Shit. I don't like the tone of that offer. I should have figured that he'd still be suspicious of me, he's the chief after all. As if to confirm my worries, he asks his first question without waiting for me to respond. "Where are you _really_ from?"

Of course. Why wouldn't you start with the most difficult question to answer? Can't make things simple for me or anything, can you.

I'm caught now. I may not be as clever as Zelda or Midna, but I could spin a quick lie in this scenario. But I can't keep track of every lie that I've told; eventually they'll stack up if I try to continue this charade.

On the other hand, the truth isn't much better. How crazy would the Twilight sound to someone who's never heard of it? Hell, they probably don't have any concept of magic. I could try to explain the situation in the Cave of Ordeals, but he may just take me for a madman.

Damn it, what can I do? I have the benefit of being spared some suspicion since I already saved his son from a dragon, but I can't blame him for being skeptical past that.

I'll just have to pick the third option; I don't have to tell him everything, just enough to get by.

After a pause lasting a few seconds that felt like an eternity, I break my silence.

"I am from Hyrule, that much is true." I make sure to immediately affirm him that my place of origin wasn't a lie, hopefully alleviating him a bit while he listens to the rest. "But, I haven't got the slightest clue where it is in relation to this place. For all I now, it may not even be recorded on your maps."

He turns fully away from his board, focused entirely onto me. His expression is grim and guarded, but not aggressive. That's good enough for me.

"I'm not sure how I got here or how long it took to get here. But I can promise you that I'm alone, and no one knows where I am." I imagine that as chief of a village, he has to be on guard from possible invaders. I'll try to appeal to this concern and draw him away from the thought of Hyrule.

Of course, if that answer alone satisfied him, he wouldn't be a chief. "Just what kind of people are there in Hyrule?"

I can feel his eyes on my long ears and unique clothing as he asks this question. I begin with a sigh, knowing that this explanation will take a while. Holding back information about who we are would only make him more suspicious.

"For starters, I'm sure you've noticed these," I say, lightly rubbing the tips of my ears. Good to know they're still sensitive. "People who have them are called Hylians. Others look like you, so we call them Ordonians." I opt to leave out the part about people of Ordon being much smaller than these vikings.

"Up in the mountains, we have the Gorons. They're strong and hardy, also like your people. But they prefer the heat much more than most others do."

Stoick is listening with a much softer expression on his face than he's had beforehand, visibly taking in the new information. I'm purposefully leaving out details about racial features to avoid the ensuing explanation, but thankfully this is still allowing me to give a good explanation of Hyrule.

"Along the rivers, we have the Zora. They're elegant, prideful people. You'll never find a tribe that knows their way around the water better than they do." I'm starting to get into my storytelling a little bit. Rusl used to give me lessons about the rest of Hyrule since I'd never left the village, and all that information is coming back to the front of my mind now.

"But, they're all people of Hyrule. That is what we're like. We take pride in our unity, and that's what allows us to flourish and prosper." While that's not the whole truth, it's certainly not a lie either.

I would have died long ago if I wasn't able to freely travel from province to province and interact with the different races scattered throughout the land. I can't imagine sneaking into the Goron mines successfully or diving down to the Lakebed Temple without the late queen's gift. Still, I continue my story; partially to wipe away any suspicions he may have, and partially absorbed in spinning the tale itself.

"Simply put, Hyrule is advanced. Our weapons have been optimize over years and years of cooperation, and our armor has allowed even the weakest of knights to stand up to horrible creatures." I notice Stoick's eyebrows furrow at the last word I utter.

"Creatures?"

Aha. I've got him interested now.

Suppressing the smile that dares to break my storyteller's composure, I nod slowly. "We don't have nearly as many dragons as you do, but the things I've seen would give a man nightmares for months. Imagine a serpent the size of this room and six times as long, cloaked in enough scales to serve as armor."

I recount the features of Morpheel, the Twilit abyssal I was forced to exterminate within the Lakebed Temple.

"A living fossil that commands the lifeless bones of the very men that had tried to end it once before."

Now Stallord, the remains of a beast that Zant had given life back in the desert.

"Or perhaps a dragon twice the size of one of those Nightmares, covered from head to tail in thick armor."

Argorok. This one makes him shudder ever so slightly. Good, I'm getting somewhere.

"A crazed boar that could swallow you whole, with fur as black as the night and a bloodstained mane behind its massive tusks."

Finally Ganon himself.

I let myself get carried away with the theatrics of recounting my journey. It's self indulgent, but all that matters is that I have Stoick interested. If I can get him to see me as a hero, then he should be willing to drop the subject of why I'm here; so long as he feels that I'll be of use to his people.

At the very least, he doesn't appear suspicious. Only intrigued.

"If you saw all these things, why would you keep going?"

That question isn't from confusion. He's testing me, I know it. I've had enough people try to draw that answer out of me before, even if they didn't know it. Could I really say that it's only the Triforce pushing me forward? Of course not. It spurs me into action, but I'm still the one who has to answer the call at the end of the day.

It doesn't matter, though. The answer is as natural as breathing.

"I didn't want anyone to die."

I repeat the words I had said to the smith earlier. This single minded motivation that's thrown me into danger time and time guides every swing of my sword, every thrust of me shield, and forces me back up even when pain assaults my senses. It's probably the simplest answer I could possibly give, and yet it's the most honest.

His expression hasn't changed much, but I've spent enough time around Zelda to pick up on small mannerisms. I can see the corners of his mouth twitch for a moment, as if suppressing a smile. His eyes are still fixed on me, but they've unconsciously softened. Yeah, that answer did more than satisfy him.

"Do you understand now, Stoick?" My blue eyes are still locked with his green ones, silently conveying the results of my foolhardy determination. "That's the type of person I am. So ease your worries. I'll protect your people, I swear."

If Midna were here she'd already be doubled over laughing from the performance I'm putting on here. Maybe the kids from Ordon would find it cool, like they did everything else. I guess it doesn't matter. It just matters that the chief isn't suspicious any more. I can see the hint of interest in his eyes, but I'm not sure what for.

A few seconds pass after the last word of my promise, leaving only the sound of fire crackling in the chamber. His turn to be speechless now, I suppose. After some more time passes, he averts his eyes from mine and awkwardly pretends to cough. Honestly, if it weren't for my run-in with the Gorons, I'd be surprised to see such a large man acting bashful in even the slightest of ways.

"Well. I just wanted to make sure you weren't up to any trouble here in my village." He finally says after clearing his throat.

I can't help but smirk in response.

"As you should. I'm sorry for worrying you in the first place." I've grown thankful of the time I spent around nobles and knights in Hyrule Castle. My Ordonian accent won't go away of course, but the amount that I've improved my vocabulary over the past half-year makes it a lot easier to sell these gallant hero moments.

Stoick must've noticed my self-satisfied look because he straightens himself out and puts back on a more, well, stoic expression. "There's still some time before the meeting. Maybe you could... tell me more about your travels. If you wish."

I stare back at him for a moment, a little surprised at the request. My attempts at maintaining my composure fail as a soft chuckle escapes my lips. One outburst follows another and soon enough, I'm leaning back on the roundtable for support as my chest heaves with more laughter. Ah shit, he probably thinks I'm being rude.

When was the last time I even laughed like this? It definitely would have to be before the Twilight fell, back when I was ignorant and happy in Ordon.

"I'm sorry," I manage to breathe out between laughs. I look up at him, still smiling, but he doesn't seem upset, only confused. "It's just that no one's ever asked me to talk about my journey."

I think back to Colin in the others, how they'd always ask me to show them sword techniques in Ordon. The few royal guards that were left would usually ask me what it was like fighting Ganondorf, maybe what the Zora's domain looked like, or some nonsensical question. Rusl would typically ask me if there's any routes I know about or how to fight a certain enemy more effectively.

But no one's ever just asked what I did while saving Hyrule.

The reality of that is so absurd that I couldn't do anything but laugh.

It's refreshing to have someone who doesn't care about my status as a hero and just wants to hear the stories of a wandering swordsman, at least in their eyes. I chuckle one last time, but out of a warm appreciation for how quickly the tone shifted in the room.

"Alright." I unstrap the scabbard holding the royal sword and hold it in front of me as I take a seat behind me. "I'll start from when I first left my village."

Stoick never took a seat while I spoke, and I wasn't the sole target of his attention, but he remained interested as I carried him through the cornerstones of my journey. I make some major adjustments to the story in order to leave out some more mystical aspects, like the Twilight, the spirits, and my alternate form.

I substitute the Twilight for an unnamed invading threat, and the spring spirits for wise sages. I tell him about Midna, but make no mention of her magic or imp form.

A few points in the story, I stumble for a bit as I try to think of what changes to make, but for the most part, I'm able to carry smoothly through the Forest Temple. Apparently, monkeys don't exist around Berk, so I have to explain to him what those are. But, since he doesn't know what they are, I just pass them off as one of Hyrule's races, which saves me some time later explaining how they were able to be so helpful.

As expected, Stoick voices his skepticism at a few points in the story, not that I blame him. The Gale Boomerang unsurprisingly causes some confusion, but I manage to pass it off by saying that it's a haunted weapon. Diababa raised a great deal of questions, but after a few rounds of back and forth, he makes a comment how he's seen stranger dragons and drops the subject.

Halfway through my trip to Kakariko Village, the doors of the Great Hall open, and two people walk in; a man and a woman. They're not as large as Stoick, but they're definitely larger than me, and they're wearing a similar style of armor. People must be starting to show up for the meeting, then.

I push off from my seat on the roundtable and grab my scabbard, ready to let the two new arrivals greet their chief. Now that I look at it, there aren't any actual seats here, the table's just incredibly low. Ah, whatever. I find a place in a corner and prop myself against the wall as I face the door, watching the Great Hall slowly fill up with more and more vikings. After a few minutes, it's practically bursting and the chatter of wayward conversations have already melded into one collective static.

"Best we get started, then." I pick out Stoick's low voice throughout all the mess, doubly aided by my Hylian biology and my increased senses. By now, it's too full for me to try and get closer, but I can see just fine from here, and hearing is no problem either.

The stout chief quiets down the room simply grabbing a large mug and slamming it down twice on the wooden table. I'm not quite sure what I expected. Either way, it works.

"Let's not waste time." The chatter fades away and the only voice left in the room is Stoick's. Of course, every eye is on him now. "We'll skip the village matters for today. We've all got a much bigger problem."

Some affirmative mumbles ring out through the chamber. I look around to scope the general tone of the crowd, and to my surprise, not everyone looks as resolute as Stoick. I can see some unease in many faces, others appear afraid, while a couple just seem otherwise indifferent.

"These attacks are getting worse and worse. We can't just stand by while they come after us time and time again." This statement garners some nervous murmurs instead.

Somewhere near the door, a viking speaks up. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

The question draws out some agreement from others, but for the most part, there's still order in the room. Stoick hunches over, hands placed on the large map before him.

He speaks his next sentence slowly and sternly. "We have to find the nest."

So much for the order. The room explodes into an uproar. Some people are crying out in protest, others in agreement, and everything else in between. I can see Stoick attempting to regain some semblance of order by grabbing a mug out of another viking's hand and banging it on the table.

"Either we finish them, or they'll finish us! It's the only way we'll be rid of them!" His attempts to reassure them aren't met without some critique.

"We've been trying to find the nest for years, and we still haven't!" Another viking cries out this time. Fewer people speak up in agreement this time, but a couple do.

"Then we just need to try harder," Stoick retorts. "If we find the nest and destroy it, the dragons will leave. They'll find another home!"

To drive home his point, he grabs a dagger that was placed next to him and stabs it into what I presume to be the map, though I can't very easily see from behind all these people. This quiets down most people, it seems.

"One more search, before the ice sets in," the chief continues.

"Those ships never come back." Someone else near the door pipes up again.

Stoick just shakes his head in response. "We're vikings. It's an occupational hazard."

This might be a good time to get my opinion in before the room explodes again. I cut off Stoick before he can continue further with a question of my own.

"How many ships do you usually send to search?"

The eyes in the room all shift away from their chief and onto me. Some look confused, others look offended that I interrupted him. Stoick doesn't seem to mind, likely since we had some time to talk beforehand.

"Only a few scouts. Usually one or two per search."

There it is. "Then that's your problem. Lone scouts are easier to attack, and that stops them from getting close to the nest."

Shortly after I was appointed captain of the guard, we had to travel to nearby villages to deliver supplies as part of the widespread restoration from Twilight attacks. Traveling in a large group always proved to be safer, especially when I compared it to the time I escorted Telma.

The monsters of Hyrule were intelligent, and knew that they'd likely die if they tried attacking such a large group. These dragons must be the same.

"What are you getting at, boy?" The first viking that spoke up earlier directs his question at me now.

"What I'm saying is, your scout ships aren't just getting lost. They're being destroyed by dragons protecting their nest."

The room threatens to creep back up into another uproar as people begin to discuss what I said between one another. I'm a little shocked that this surprises anyone, honestly, but I hold my tongue. Instead, I decide to move from my social bunker in the corner and towards the main group of vikings gathered around Stoick.

"If you send out a larger search group, send more ships, you'll have a fighting chance against whatever dragons come." I push through the crowd and make my way next to Stoick, looking down at the map. It's well made visually, but offers little information.

"And how do you know the dragons are destroying our ships?" A viking clad in black on the other side of his chief speaks up this time, dragging my attention back up from the map.

"Come on, these creatures are far smarter than you let on." Another round of chatter circles around the room, this one filled with more jeers than previous ones. I make no attempt to shut them up, instead I just talk over the mess of voices. "They know to keep coming back here and not only that, but they're coming back more often."

The jeers slowly dissipate and in their place, more contemplative murmurs arise.

"They know where to hit you when they show up. You can see them attacking your towers and going straight for the food. They know what they're doing, whether you want to believe it or not."

I'm making a lot of assumptions here for the sake of my argument. Since I only witnessed the one attack, that's all I can go off of, but I turn my observations from that one experience into a talking point. I can see the apprehensiveness on some of their faces, but no one dares to speak up against the point, allowing me to continue.

"If you send enough ships, they'll have no choice but to let you get close to the nest. They'll try to lure you in and crush you there, and that's when you make your maps, gather your strength, and come back with a full invasion force."

I don't like the idea of a full on slaughter, but if destroying the nest will push the dragons out to find another home, then it's the safest option for everyone; including them.

The idea seems to make sense, since I'm hearing more affirmative muttering than at the start of my explanation. One person still retorts with another question, though.

"And what if they just burn down our ships when we get close?"

"It's an occupational hazard, right?" I take advantage of Stoick's own words, rousing some more people. "You don't have to get close enough for them to spot you. You're bound to see their nest before they see you. Travel at night if you must, just stay concealed."

I give everyone a moment to mull over my words, and the soft chatter resurges as vikings discussion between one another. I cast a sidelong glance towards Stoick, to which he return with a subtle nod. He doesn't seem at all bothered that I interjected, possibly because he respects my opinion as a captain.

"Then how many ships is enough?"

That question I don't have a response to, nor did I see who even asked it. We don't have a need for ships in Hyrule, so the only experience I have with them is what I've been told travelers and gossipers. However, while I'm thinking of an answer, Stoick breaks his silence.

"All of them."

What?

I'm not the only one confused, clearly, as the room explodes in a mix of confusion, protest, and some affirmation.

I thought that I'd be ready for whatever response that Stoick could possibly given, even if it was refusing my proposal outright. And yet,my lack of imagination's left me speechless. I try to gather my wits and speak out against Stoick's suggestion but my voice is swept up in the crowd.

"Who's going to watch the village?!"

"What if we don't come back?"

"They could kill us all!"

Left and right, I hear objections and worries rising throughout the room. And yet, despite all the chaos, Stoick doesn't appear worried in the slightest. He simply grabs another mug and slams it down to regain order once more. Perhaps it was the same mug, I'm not sure. Some of the contents of it fly out into the air as the wooden base connects with the table, spilling splotches of ale onto his maps.

The air remains tense, but people are quieting down to allow their respected chief to speak. Even I don't dare interrupt again.

"If what the boy says is true," His words are slow and measured, a razor sharp dagger cutting through the thick tension of the room. "The more ships we have, the closer we'll get. They can't take out all of our ships."

What he's saying makes a bit of sense, I have to admit. Even so, this much is overkill. The room has yet to break out into another murmur, giving me a chance to respond.

"Still, taking all of your ships back and forth is going to require more supplies than you can-"

The chief cuts a rift in my thoughts yet again with his commanding voice. "We only need one trip. Then and there, we'll destroy the nest."

By Hylia, what have I gotten myself into.

"We'll take our catapults, our nets, everything we need. We'll destroy the nest as soon as we see it once and for all. Now who's with me?"

I look around the room absentmindedly, caught up in the shock of what's just happened in the span of possibly a minute or two. Everyone else is either just as shocked as I am, or even more apprehensive. I can't hear a single sound from anyone, even with my tipped ears. I throw a sidelong glance in Stoick's direction, and yet all I can see is a smile creeping through his facial hair.

"Alright. Those who stay will look after Hiccup."

Like clockwork, the room explodes again for the last time as hands shoot up all around. The uncertain clamor and scattered protests that I could hear in every other uproar are nowhere to be found this time. Honestly, part of me feels bad for finding their reactions a bit comical. I shake my head and push away the last thought, watching as the vikings that were filling the room proceed to vacate the hall.

Some murmurs spread out through the room as usual, and my ears twitch as I pick out the different conversations. I hear someone say something to Stoick, and turn in that direction.

"No," Stoick has already walked away from the roundtable and is talking to the stout man in front of him. "I need you to stay and train some new recruits."

Ah, it's the blacksmith from earlier. I suppose I might as well get his name now, but I wonder if it's alright for me to keep approaching the chief so casually.

"Oh, _perfect_, and while I'm busy, Hiccup can cover the stall- Molten steel, razor sharp blades, lots of time to himself, what could possibly go wrong?" The smith's words are absolutely drenched in sarcasm, but Stoick doesn't even bat an eye at it.

Well, that gets rid of my last concern. I'll refrain from interrupting their conversation for a moment longer and just listen in the meantime. I direct my attention down to the maps that Stoick had laid out during the mission, lazily scanning over them.

I can hear Stoick sigh along with the sound of his massive frame landing on a bench. "What am I going to do with him, Gobber?"

Oh, so that's his name.

"Put him in training with the others." Before the smith's last word is even finished, Stoick quickly snaps back.

"No, I'm serious."

"So am I."

That's the second time they've mentioned training. I suppose it shouldn't come as a surprise to me that combat training's commonplace, but I'm even more interested in their conversation now.

They begin to bicker for a bit. Surprisingly, Stoick's not the one defending his son.

"You know what he's like. From the time he could crawl, he's been- different." The tone of that last word sends a sudden pang of sadness into my heart. Rusl and I had shared a similar conversation some time back about Colin, just a few weeks before the eve of the Twilight, actually.

_"Colin's just not like the others in the village, you know?"_ I can hear his words ringing in my ears as a faint echo, bringing a grimace to my face. _"Jaggle's boys always want to learn how to sword fight. Even Beth, for how haughty she tries to be, she can't help but watch you train. But Colin doesn't do any of that."_

The memory's as painful as I remember it, but it's so vivid that I can practically recreate Rusl and the spring we were sitting at if I were to close my eyes. Against my own wishes, my mind continues to replay the moment as if it were a dream.

_"Sometimes, I just... I just wish he was more like you, Link."_

I never did say anything back to Rusl on that day. I didn't have an answer back then, and I never would up until that frail boy took up his own sword after the Twilight's disappearance. Part of me always felt like Rusl gave up on his son that day, but I never dared to ask. The other kids certainly had, and in my own way, I did too.

Perhaps if I hadn't tried to protect him so much as if he was my own brother, I could have taught him how to fight. I thank the goddesses that he was never seriously hurt six months ago, but if he did, it would have been my fault for letting him carry on so aimlessly instead of helping him find his place in the village. The weak little boy that admired courage, but never knew the word himself.

And again, here I stand, listening to another father about ready to give up on his son. Maybe he already has, I don't know. Funny, I still don't know what the right thing to say in this kind of situation is, either.

I shake my head and try to dispel the mixed cloud of memories and thoughts invading my mind, bringing me back to the present. Surprisingly, Stoick and the man he called Gobber are still talking. All this time, I'm still staring mindlessly at the map before me, not really having taken in any of its information. I take a close look at the crude drawings of the village area, still keeping one ear open to the conversation.

"Even as a boy, I knew what I was, what I had to become... Hiccup is not that boy."

As I thought, Stoick's still on the side of disappointment. I'll continue to hold my tongue, for now, but I shouldn't let this matter just pass by.

"You can't stop him, Stoick, you can only prepare him." An unexpected bit of wisdom escapes the one armed viking's mouth, easing my worries some. Perhaps I won't have to speak up.

"I know it seems hopeless, but the truth is, you won't always be around to protect him. He's going to get out there again; he's probably out there now."

Shit.

My eyes widen as his last sentence gives me the final kick back to reality I needed. He's right, and I'd completely forgotten about the dragon from earlier that the boy shot down.

My head's on a swivel as I frantically look around the room for a quicker exit, my eyes falling on a discreet looking back door. I bolt out of the door almost immediately, silently thanking the few seconds I took looking at the map. I curse my lack of control over my Triforce piece, as the lack of imminent danger keeps me from empowering my legs.

Just like I thought, the back door of the Great Hall leads directly to the forest, but I still don't know where to look.

"C'mon, think!" I growl at myself. I paint a mental picture of the cliff Hiccup was standing on when he shot down the dragon, but I have to connect it back to the faint image of the map.

Downwards. It fell downwards, but the Great Hall is on a cliff. That means I have a vantage point. I look downhill at the expanse of trees and begin scanning the landscape for any signs of damage or burns.

My eyes bounce from tree to tree, trying to pick up on even the slightest patterns of disturbance. Eventually, I notice that one tree is otherwise completely fine aside from the fact that its top branches have been torn away. I glance left of it and see that the other in a line downhill from it are all disturbed, but not completely destroyed. It's a gamble, but it's the best lead that I've got. I take off in that direction, leaves flying up behind me as I run.

Everything about my current path on a chance. I don't even know if the dragon caused that damage, or if Hiccup's even there yet. Wait, is it even better for him to get there before me? He could have gotten lost, but do I really have time to take a chance like that? Who's even in more danger? A wounded creature might be weak, but so is that boy.

I growl in frustration and push my body harder, quickening my pace.

Past one tree, around another. Over a log, under a low hanging limb. I weave through the natural obstacle course not skipping a beat. Every now and then I brandish my sword to cut down some branches in my path that I think are thin enough. Again, I dodge left and right, avoiding tree after tree as I sprint as fast as my unenchanted legs will allow me. If there's a log, I leap over it. If there's something in my way, I go under it, or I tear it down.

I repeat this ritual for who knows how long. My legs haven't begun to grow sore yet, but my lungs are burning for air. I still don't stop. I've long passed the trees I saw that carried me down this path and I'm still running in the direction they pointed, but I haven't seen any more signs of disturbances.

"Damn it," I hiss in between strides. Having access to my wolf form made everything easier, especially tracking. Even without a familiar scent to follow, the enhanced hearing and senses could at least make it easier to pick up his trail. While my Hylian ears are much better than any Ordonian's, they're still nowhere near good enough to pick up on small sounds at this speed.

Should I try to stop and listen? No, there's no guarantee I'm near anything of interest. But if I keep running, I may pass whatever I'm looking for.

Growling again in frustration, I stop in my tracks, kicking up some more leaves and dirt as I slide across the forest floor. I put my back to a tree in order to avoid wind interfering with my hearing. Slowly, I close my eyes and make some attempt to take in my surroundings.

I block out the occasional crow calls and bird chirps and try to listen for anything out of the ordinary. I can hear the shifting of leaves as smaller creatures run across the forest floor, but nothing as large as a dragon or person yet.

I hear a more distinct noise. A faint squeal, likely from a boar in the forest.

My ears twitch at the unique sound, but I click my tongue and continue listening.

"Ow!"

That was a person.

My eyes fly open and I cock my head in the direction that I heard the sound.

I push off from my crouched spot on the ground and start to sprint towards the source of the yelp. It was faint, but closer than the boar was.

My steps begin to turn into bounds as I quicken my pace, turning my aimless search into a purposeful charge. Triforce or not, my speed speaks for itself, although I do still prefer running in wolf form.

After a minute or so of running, I notice a tree torn half, the toppled end warping horrifically down into the ground. The forest floor below it has been all but ruined, signs of something large having crashed into it. This is far more damage than the few trees I noticed earlier, which must mean I've gotten much closer.

I slow my running down to a walking pace, passing the tree. I carefully march over the ravaged ground, roots poking out through the sides of the freshly made ditch, if one could call it that.

The damage only goes so far though. The trough slopes up, presumably overlooking a downhill drop. I put a hand to my blade's hilt and begin to climb up it, using my free hand for support whenever necessary.

There he is.

That boy, Hiccup. Part of me had feared I was too late the moment I'd heard his yelp, but he seems to be perfectly fine. He even has a knife.

And what's more, the dragon from earlier, almost gift wrapped behind him.

The boy's back is turned on it, but that doesn't seem to be a concern to him, given the rope binding its scaled limbs. Up this close, beast isn't nearly as horrid as I'd imaged it would be. While I can see how it gets its namesake, given the sleek black scales covering the entirety of its body, its form is rather unimposing, almost cute.

Its wings, on the other hand, are just what I'd expect for the speed it boasts. Each black curtain looks as if it could cover the entirety of the dragon.

And yet, it's completely caught and powerless before the flimsy boy, back still turned and casting an almost regretful look at the bound creature.

I don't know anything about this dragon yet, so I can't say whether or not I'm glad that it's still alive, but I suppose it doesn't matter if it remains tied up like that.

No point in hanging around, then. I turn around to avoid sliding off the slope onto my face and carefully begin to walk back down it.

And yet, my ears twitch.

A particularly unique sound for the forest, almost like the sound of cutting and then a snap.

My eyes widen and I immediately return to the slope, hopping over to see what the source of the sound is.

And of course, it's exactly what I think it is. In the span of what might not have even been a few seconds, Hiccup is crouched down, using his knife for the exact opposite purpose that most would expect.

Twice more, before I can say anything, he cuts away some of the rope binding the dragon. By the third cut, the trap slips away from its body, freeing its limbs once more.

In less than a second, it leaps at him, arm outstretched.

I don't have time to stop Hiccup from being pinned to a rock, but I make sure the dragon hears me unsheathing my blade as I place myself in striking range of it. My blade is at my side, so as to prevent it from doing anything drastic, but I holler out to it in an attempt to take the attention off of Hiccup.

Eyes like that of a cat meet my own as we stare each other down. Perhaps in an attempt to assert dominance over me, the beast snorts. I shift my footing slightly to offer me a better chance at rushing it. At this range, I can attack it before it does any damage to Hiccup, even better if it chooses to attack me.

All the while, the boy squirms underneath the creature's hold. It looks back towards him, but not for very long once it hears the sound of my gear moving about.

This time, it looks at my sword. It bounces its eyes back and forth between the blade's tip and my own edges before jerking its head to the side with a vocalization.

I scowl back at it, provoking it to growl in response. It moves its arm ever so slightly, to give it more leverage towards Hiccup's neck.

I click my tongue in frustration, but decide to play along. I return my blade to its sheath, keeping a hand on it to entertain the prospect of a Mortal Draw.

The dragon draws back a little bit, removing its arm from Hiccup's chest, still keeping its eyes on me. I lower my eyes, signaling it to back away from him, prompting it to snarl in annoyance. It looks down at the terrified boy and rears back its head.

The hand on my hilt tenses, but I keep the blade sheathed when I notice that there's no fire building up. Maybe it doesn't need time to gather its flame, but even Dodongos and Argorok did.

While I'm rapidly exploring my options, Hiccup squirms even more beneath it, fearing for his life. The dragon's wings flap once, potentially as a show of confidence before it roars in the quivering boy's face.

The sound is like a medley of Hyrule's own animals, and yet something completely different. From this distance, I can practically feel the reverb through my bones. It pulls away from Hiccup, and runs off in the opposite direction from him. It turns around specifically to make some vocalization at me, whether it's an insult or something else. I watch it as it leaves, Hiccup's heaving breaths gracing my ears as I do.

Strangely enough, I notice the dragon drift into a landform rather ungracefully as it attempts to fly away. Further roars of annoyance begin to meld in with Hiccup's heavy breathing as the beast struggles to fly straight.

Meanwhile, its would-be prey has finally begun to calm down behind me, and in the place of his breathing, words begin to take over. At least, his attempts at speaking.

"Y-You saved me," he finally spits out.

I unintentionally scoff at the familiar words and turn towards him, leaving the matter of the dragon to the forest. "All I did was scare it off. If it wanted to kill you, it would have done that first instead of pinning you."

He doesn't offer me a response, instead his eyes race around the forest, as if another threat is going to come jumping out.

"Hey." I bend down to prevent his eyes from darting around any more, at least as well as I can. "What were you thinking, coming out here alone?"

He's not looking all around the forest anymore, but he won't meet my eyes either. Instead, he's chosen a spot on the ground to stare at while he speaks. "I... I thought that-"

"That you'd kill your first dragon?" My words pierce right through him, as his shoulders slump even more.

Nayru's grace, this boy. I sigh and sit down across from him on the ground, looking straight at the sullen viking-to-be. "Look at me."

It takes him a moment, but he listens to me. His eyes are glistening, but he won't let himself cry just yet. I can't help but soften up my expression staring back at this frail boy.

"Hiccup. Compassion is a gift that most people aren't blessed with." Unconsciously, I find myself looking down at where my birthmark would be on my left hand. "Even heroes like me still have to kill. We kill so that others don't have to."

I begin to unstrap my sheath from my back as I continue to talk, meeting Hiccup's eyes every now and then to make sure he's still focusing in. "When you take a life, even if it's right, you remember it. Even something as cruel as a monster still feels pain." I chuckle unconsciously as I think back to the endless waves of evil I faced throughout Hyrule.

"Well, at least the beasts back home were all angry until the moment they died. Made 'em harder to feel bad for." I hold out the hilt of the royal sword to him, completely removed from my back now. He looks down nervously at it, then back to me. All I offer back is a smile and a nod.

An audible gulp. All the same though, the boy takes hold of the hilt. I place my hand an inch under the scabbard and yank it away with my other hand, revealing the steel edge to the forest air.

Surprisingly, he manages to keep a hold on the blade without dropping it, although he did need to bring a second hand to the hilt just to hold it up. His eyes are moving up and down the blade, fixing on the edges, the fuller, the intricate hilt, and every possible point that this weapon has to examine.

"That sword there already took the life of two dragons here, and I can't say I'll be forgetting that any time soon." I take hold the hilt with my left hand and point it sideways, away from either of us, keeping Hiccup's own small hands on it as well.

"They're not like the others I've fought. They may be beasts, but they can still feel fear just like the rest of us. Just like you did now." I squeeze his hands slightly, prompting him to look back up at me.

"Killing to defend yourself or another person is one thing, but for status?" I let go of his hands and stand up, grabbing the scabbard behind me as I do. Hiccup's eyes follow me up, but his hands are still glued to the sword.

"That's not really like you, is it?"

I can't help but flash a warm smile.

This boy who's nothing like me, and yet I see so much familiarity in him.

He looks back to the sword in his hands once again, shaking his head a bit. "Why... are you telling me this?"

"That's what heroes do, right? Help the people." Maybe I'm just teasing him at this point. "If you'd prefer, I can teach you how to kill dragons instead." Yeah, definitely teasing him.

"No no, that's- that's not necessary." He starts waving around one hand while trying to get up off the floor. His legs are still shaking a bit, presumably due to the dragon roaring in his face just a minute prior. I grab his hand as it makes another pass across his face and pull him up off the ground, my sword slipping from his grasp as he uses his other free hand to clasp around mine.

"I didn't think so. But I don't think I'm the one you should be telling." I walk past Hiccup, still a bit entertained by his reactions, and pick up the royal sword. As I return it to its sheath, I turn back around to address the boy one more time.

"You should get going back to your village and have a talk with your father."

"My dad's not exactly the most understanding person, you know," he mutters while rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, it's either that or more repeats of this last night. We'll see which one he prefers."

I turn back around and pick up the knife he was using earlier, fiddling with it briefly before handing it back to him. "Head on back, now."

He takes the knife wordlessly, but still doesn't turn to leave yet. "You're not coming?"

I wave my hand to tell him to hurry on, turning my back once again on the small viking. "I'll catch up, just gonna look 'round here for a bit first."

There's a bit of a pause before I hear him move, but after a few seconds, his footsteps start to fade away into the forest behind me as he runs off. I begin to walk in the direction that I saw the dragon fly away, if you could call that flying. I'm not as hard pressed with any sense of danger anymore, thankfully, so I can take my time enjoying the scenery as I explore.

The formation of the forest seems to change quite drastically around this area, as it becomes filled with more rock forms and inclines as opposed to the relatively level grassland I'd passed through before. If the dragon did come through here, it fell downwards, as the terrain seems to drop further and further down.

I don't see the dragon anywhere, so it at least got further than I'd have thought. I can't use felled trees as a tracking reference either, so my only option is to keep going forward and hope I run into it. I hop down from rock to rock and the forest begins to level out again, just with more boulders strewn about. The trees are beginning to thin out a bit, which is either signaling the end of the forest, or something else in their place.

"Hmm..." I think I can see a clearing ahead, but it's becoming slightly more difficult to see as the sky begins to darken.

Strange though, I haven't been out here for very long, it shouldn't be getting dark yet.

I look up in confusion, and a thick veil of clouds serves as the answer to my concerns. Despite them though, I can't help but feel nervous as chills run down my spine. I've stopped walking, yet the hair on the back of my neck is tingling, as if responding to the tension in the air.

Danger. That is what my senses tell me is coming. Quickly, I draw the royal sword yet again and arm the Hylian shield in my right hand. Without notice, not even a full second later, I feel a rush of wind to my right.

I throw my head in the direction of the disturbance fast enough to give me whiplash, just barely managing to throw up my shield in time to block a set of talons aimed at my neck.

The force of the blow almost knocks me over, but I manage to stay on my feet. Shaking off the numbness from my shield arm, I look to the skies to discern the identity of my attacker. However, my eyes go wide as they land on the winged beast just a few meters away from me, hovering menacingly in the air.

This certainly isn't the creature I was tracking. It's much too aggressive looking for that. Its black body is adorned with purple scales that reflect the light in an unnatural fashion. Those purple scales are the very depiction of a curse that Hylian knights would tell stories about between one another, but something tells me that I won't get such a simple answer with this beast.

Spines line its grey underbelly, trickling all the way down to the tip of its tail. The dragon's head looks like that of a demon, with more long spines protruding from the nape of its neck, along with a row of thin, razor sharp teeth offering a silent premonition of death to any prey unlucky to find itself between them.

Two thick hind legs are decorated with long talons, three on each foot, all curved into a wicked hook-like shape. This predator has no front legs to speak of, instead bearing two large sharp wings, more spines jutting out at several points, likely where its bones are. Each wing bears one thick claw, indicating that this beast's entire body is a weapon. My shield is one thing, but if I'm not careful, I'm not sure that even my chainmail can stop its wings or its tail from tearing me to shreds.

Keep blocking, then. As vicious as it appears to be, it should understand the importance of not breathing fire in a tight woodland area like this, so that's one less concern of mine. Motion should be difficult as well, with all the trees around, but its speed just now goes against that idea.

I tighten my grip on my sword and prepare my muscles in the case that I need to raise my shield again in an instant. Tiring of our standoff, the dragon makes the first move.

I shift my feet in preparation for an attack, but instead all I'm met with is the living weapon throwing its head back and roaring, baring its spiked underbelly to me. Its roar is completely different from its recently freed kin, producing more of a shrill tone. I contemplate moving in to attack, but my thoughts are cut off by a harrowing noise.

A crash echoing through the clouds above me.

In the midst of the Twilight, Hyrule hadn't seen much perilous weather, aside from the occasional downpour. Thunderstorms were a rare occurrence that most attributed to the protection of Nayru, but when they would happen, all citizens were advised to stay indoors.

Especially the knights clad in full metal and bearing weapons of a similar making.

Another lightning bolt jumps between the clouds, sending the second loud thunderclap ringing throughout the air.

Can I survive a lightning strike? Perhaps if I run back into the forest, I can use the foliage for cover, but will this dragon really let me just back away and run?

Come to think of it, it hasn't even made a second attempt to strike me yet.

The third thunderclap cuts through my train of thought, even louder than the last two.

Damn it all, I want to run, but the moment I turn my back is when I can't another strike from that thing's talons, or any part of its razor sharp body for that matter. I can only back away slowly at this point and pray it doesn't try to keep me in this area.

Of course though, things are never that easy. The fourth thunderclap rings out, and with it, a strike of lightning aimed for the forest. The bright flash of light blinds me before I even have time to raise my shield. All I can do is tense my body and pray that my empowered body can take the strike head-on.

Yet, it never reaches me.

I open my eyes and there's the telltale sign that a bolt of lightning tore through the trees, burned leaves falling from their tops. However, there's no scorch on the ground, nor a single burn on me. Instead, a rabid crackling answers all the questions that are beginning to form in my head.

The dragon before me took the strike head-on.

Electricity bounces all over its body, jumping from spine to spine like each of them is a conductor. Its demonic face has curled up into a twisted smile and without another moment wasted, it opens its mouth and begins to inhale, just like every other fire breathing beast I've come across to this point.

I raise my shield and drop behind it, covering the majority of my body behind the slab of metal as if it was my last grip to this world. My only indication to prepare myself is a curt snarl and the sound of a discharge akin to a cannon.

The impact was no concern to me, not while I'm crouched like this. But what my shield blocked wasn't fire. Fire doesn't send itself coursing through the steel wall and into my skin. Fire doesn't get past my shield like that just did.

There's no other reaction but for me to scream in pain as every muscle in my body constricts and seizes. I'm not even sure if there's any sound escaping my mouth, if I can even make any sound at this rate. My blood feels like it's on fire and the uncomfortable sensation forces me to drop the royal sword. The Hylian shield barely stays in my grip solely because of the leather strap wrapped around my arm.

The surge of electricity running through my body paralyzes my limbs for a few seconds, and all I can do is thank the goddesses that the dragon hasn't opted to follow up with its talons. Perhaps it presumed the blast would kill me. The moment I regain control of my limbs, I push off the ground with my empowered legs, narrowly avoiding another blast as I duck behind a tree.

Lightning. That's what this beast channels. Unlike its brethren, it doesn't use fire to strike from a range, but instead employs the one thing that my shield can't defend against. It's fair to assume that it called on these clouds as well to fuel its attacks. I don't hear its wings beating against the air, so at the very least it's staying where it is. I haven't heard the sound of any leaves being trodden upon either, but the crackling of the fire a few meters from me is certainly getting in the way of that.

Damn it, I can't just rush it either, it's much too fast for that. If I just had a wooden shield instead, I could deflect these lightning blasts with a shield attack. That's assuming it doesn't simply tear through the shield itself, though.

There's a fallen log a little bit away from me, but if it's already begun to rot, it'll be little more than shrapnel for that dragon to use against me. Either way, I need to put some distance between me and this thing before it gets impatient and decides to start flying again.

I place my foot on the tree I'm hiding behind and push off from it, aiming for a decently sized boulder to hide behind instead. As expected, another lightning blast sounds out as I do, just barely catching one of my boots. The impact blows it off and sends another jolt through my body, albeit not as intense. I hop over the boulder with my good leg, trying to quickly shake off the numbness as I do.

In terms of impact, these blasts aren't that bad. I've survived worse hits from larger enemies, but the paralyzing effect of the electricity makes me an easy target for a follow-up. I can probably survive three or four more of those before it starts to tear apart my insides, but there's no guarantee that its talons won't finish me off. If it comes to that, I can only put my faith in my gear.

Although my boot was blown off, so I can't say that fills me with confidence. Shaking my head in frustration, I try to think of a plan. My eyes bounce around the forest, looking for anything I can use for a makeshift shield, but dead logs don't particularly fill me with confidence. As I glance to my left, something in particular catches my eye.

My discarded boot which had flown some distance away from me. It sits on the forest floor, but the important part is that it's still in one piece. It's not even scorched from the blast.

Right. I hadn't forgotten that my clothes are a blessing from the goddesses themselves, but in the heat of the moment I'd begun to have doubts about their durability against enemies like these. I should have known better. Despite all the hits I've taken from powerful beasts, there's not been a single moment where I've had to tend to this divine garb.

This realization gives me an idea, sacrilegious as it may be. I strip myself of all of the leather straps binding my tunic down against me and set my shield down beside me for a moment. I start to pull the cloth over my head, leaving me with just my chainmail and my undershirt on. My hand must have gone over the top of the boulder, because a lightning blast goes right over me. This confirms another guess of mine; this dragon's attacks aren't strong enough to blow apart my cover, so it has to resort to a direct hit.

I grab my shield from next to me and begin to carefully cover the face of it with my tunic. Another shrill roar stops my actions though, as repeated thunderclaps begins to follow it yet again. Shit, is it going to try to strike me directly instead? I set my feet to try and run again, but before I have a chance, I hear the crash of lightning behind me, colliding with something in that direction.

I don't dare peek behind me out of the risk of getting hit with another blast, but the beast's roar has stopped and I can hear the crackling of electricity yet again. It must have guided the lightning down to its body again, but I can't imagine why.

No, that's not right. It's got to be obvious why.

Perhaps all the monsters back in Hyrule were being empowered by the Twilight, but even they couldn't attack forever. As brief as their pauses were, they needed time to gather their strength once more. I think back to the different abominations I'd fought that Midna had endearingly called "bosses" and how each of them had to take time to let off their strongest attacks.

And each of them drew off the same source of power.

Twilight.

But that's not here now. This world hardly seems to have an impression of magic, so how else would creatures be able to fire off a repeated volley of fire?

No, not even that. If they could do just that, the village wouldn't be standing from last night.

They're limited. All of these dragons have a limit of shots they can fire off, which means they have to be precise with each one. If not for that, the one behind me could just keep pinning me down with a barrage of lightning.

The only way they can recharge is probably from their surroundings, and with no magic, they probably have to rely on nature.

I think I counted four shots before it called down another bolt of lightning, but that doesn't exactly mean that's its limit. Either way, if this doesn't go well, I should keep that in mind. I finish wrapping my tunic around the face of my shield and grip it tightly, steeling my senses.

A deep breath. That's all that precedes my first move. I kick off the ground with my strengthened legs and leap over the boulder, a lightning blast flying underneath my back. My chainmail attracts a little bit of the electricity, but not enough to do any damage to my body. I land on my feet, still missing one boot, but it makes no difference for me. I place my shield close to my body as I prepare myself for the second shot and without skipping a beat, the dragon launches off another attack.

A single grunt rises from my throat as I thrust my shield forward. The blast hits the enchanted cloth straight on, but instead of dispersing, it reverses direction. I can't see the dragon's face past the bright light, but I fill in the image of shock for myself. A self-satisfied grin graces my face as I hear a shocked snarl ring out ahead of me.

The sound of an impact follows the snarl, and I move my shield out of the way to see that the dragon's been knocked back into a tree, currently shaking off the pain from the hit. I make a dash for my sword that I dropped earlier, still keeping my shield firmly gripped in my hand. As I pick up the sword, I hear a sharp inhale as the dragon tries to fire off another blast. Once more, I rebound it back with my shield.

This time, it's fired off a second blast as quickly as it could after the first, catching the return shot before it makes its way back to the sender. As the two shots collide, a small scale explosion spreads out from the point of collision. The electricity spreads out into the air, but bears no threat to me at this distance.

Not to mention, that's four shots, just like last time. Is it going to try to call down another bolt of lightning, or does it have more of those blasts ready and waiting? I don't wait for either answer, instead of rush in, sword raised, before it gets a chance to recover.

The dragon's already taken flight again, the arc of my sword barely missing its tail as it flies above me and through the leaves that had ignited as a result of our altercation.

I prepare myself for another strike, but to my surprise, as I look up I see the clouds beginning to clear, and as if on cue, the dragon's turned its back to me and is fully intent on flying away from this forest.

I'm not sure if the cloud cover was its own doing, or if it was just a lucky coincidence, but the sudden departure makes me think that it was on a time limit. Either that, or the dragon just couldn't bear the feeling of losing. Regardless, this battle appears to be over. The strength of the Triforce dissipates from my body, indicating no more immediate danger.

Finally able to catch my breath, I let out a heavy sigh as I begin to go collect my discarded straps and my boot. I'll leave Hiccup's injured dragon alone, for the time being. Something gives me the odd feeling that this attack just now was a direct result of my efforts to seek it out.

I click my tongue in frustration as I return the royal sword to its sheath, both cursing and blessing my actions in that fight. As quick as I may think in battle, my lack of information might get me killed.

I need a way to study up on these different dragons. Analyzing our enemies was always Midna's job, given her advantageous position as a spectator, but sadly she's not here right now. Perhaps these vikings have collected their information in some fashion.

Come to think of it, that man from earlier, Gobber. He briefly mentioned something about training. I should probably talk to him and see what he knows.

I mull over my options silently, staring at the sky as the clouds continue to clear up. There's no sight of that beast anymore, but I'm sure it'll be back. For now, I've survived.

Hell, for now, I've won.

So come back.

I'll be waiting for you.


	3. Forward Momentum

The calm sounds of the forest have begun to return, as if the creatures producing them had been hiding for the duration of the fight. I had already been walking back towards the village for a while now, at least where I believe it's located. I refrained from putting my tunic back on in case the dragon had returned for a second attempt at my life, or perhaps another one like it. It's been about an hour since that fight, and I can see the orange haze of dusk filling the forest.

Nightfall's never particularly been a concern to me, given the amount of time I've spent traveling Hyrule under the cover of the evening, but the massive amount of trees in this forest might make the task a bit more dangerous to me. I concede to logic and find a thick enough tree to lean behind as I unstrap my sword sheath and belt, laying them both next to me. I'd strapped them over my chainmail while keeping my tunic wrapped around my shield arm, but it's better to err on the side of caution for any possible sneak attack rather than one specific dragon.

I quickly slip the tunic over my head and strap my belt around my waist to keep it snug and secure. I don't exactly care to stay in this forest for longer than I have to, so I opt to sloppily fasten the royal sword's sheath across my torso for now. I return to my rather aimless walk back to the village, brushing off the few ashes that clung to my tunic from earlier. As expected, it's not even slightly damaged, albeit the cloth is much warmer than usual. That's fine by me, it's a little cold in this place anyways.

As I wandered, the orange haze slowly but surely left the forest and in its place, the comforting hue of moonlight washed over the trees. I manage to spot the Great Hall over the trees, much to my relief. My lengthy trip lasts for just a few more minutes as I walk back through the back door of the massive building, the same one that led me out here to begin with. Unsurprisingly, there's no one here, but there are a few torches lit. I make my way for the front door to return to the village, absentmindedly looking about the room yet again.

As my eyes scan the room, a yawn unconsciously escapes my mouth, reminding me of my fatigue. I haven't slept in quite some time, so perhaps I should get some rest. I suppose finding Stoick should to ask him about the house he was preparing for me. I'd hope he's just giving me an abandoned one, but given what little I've seen of these people, I haven't exactly put aside the idea of them building me an entirely new one.

Ah, whatever. Concerns for later. For now, finding the house of a chief can't be harder than navigating that forest. While Mayor Bo's house doubled as a meeting place for the village back in Ordon, I'm not likely to find the same case here, given that I'm standing in the very meeting place for this village now.

"Second biggest building it is," I mutter to myself. If nothing else, finding the most aggressive looking house should work just fine. Looking over the village from this vantage, it has an odd beauty to it unlike what I saw from the cliffside last night. This hall was truly made to overlook all its people, and the feeling is a little invigorating to be honest. Zelda always told me she got a feeling of pride looking upon the bustling market of Hyrule Castle Town from her tower, but given that the construct is still being rebuilt from Ganon's clash with the Fused Shadows.

The faint wisp of my breath filling the air continues to remind me of the cold, but it doesn't bother me much. The village is so much calmer at night, at least when it's not following a dragon attack. There's a few people standing around, likely as guards, but for the most part, everyone seems to be in their homes already. The persistent chatter of the day is replaced with the familiar sound of crickets, and it's a tranquility not unlike one I'd find wandering Kakariko at night.

Knowing my luck, a Twilight portal should open and break the peace any minute now.

Pfft. I scoff at the thought, but I'm not sure if it was a joke or a legitimate concern. Before that inquiry has any time to develop further, I make my way down the stone steps away from the Great Hall, the heavy doors shutting on their own beside me once I let go of them.

Second biggest building, huh? Aside from the Great Hall, most houses around here seem to be a similar size, the most identifiable qualities setting them apart being their positions. With hills everywhere across the village, some of these houses are at higher elevations than others, making them stand out more. Naturally, my eyes are being drawn to these peaks as I look around, but to little avail in determining size differences. The lack of light isn't helping me either when it comes to discerning structural design choices between one another.

Ugh. I suppose I could ask one of the vikings standing around, but something about the image of a stranger asking where the chief's house is at this hour seems a little concerning. Let's just keep that as a last resort if I can't figure it out on my own.

I walk slowly through the village, trying to look around as much as I can in the meantime, and out of the corner of my eye, I notice something different. As I thought, it's hard to pick apart structural designs, but I can at least differentiate what's around them, especially with the houses placed on hills.

This house some distances to my left has a place for holding a torch. Simplicity at its finest, but that's not why I care. If the Great Hall is adorned with draconic totems and statues, then what kind of decoration would the chief's house have?

Surely enough, after some moments of looking around, I find a house with dragon statues adorning its path, some crude stone steps not unlike the ones leading up to the Great Hall. The village may not be as small as Ordon, but it's compact enough that walking to the house doesn't take me much time.

For a chief's residence, it's quite unassuming. I'm not sure if that's due to some respectable sense of humility or a preference for simplicity, nor is it my place to question it. For a moment, I have to remind myself not to simply barge in as I'm so used to doing back in Hyrule. I roll my eyes when my knocking is simply returned by Stoick calling out that the door is open, but walk in anyways.

"Ah, Link. Didn't expect to see you this late."

Yeah, that's fair. "Sorry to intrude, but I wanted to find out where I should be resting my head for the night."

"Ah, right." He taps his hand against his head as if the thought was locked away until just now. "With everything else going on, I'd forgotten to show you."

Well, at least he didn't forget the house itself. "That's quite alright. You can just tell me where it is and I'm sure I'll find it."

"Bah. I wouldn't be a chief if I left everyone to themselves." Before I get a chance to tell him it's fine, he throws up head up towards the stairs and shouts out for Hiccup. Like clockwork, the boy comes trotting down the stairs, although none too rushed.

Of course, before Hiccup can even ask what he was called down for, the staunch chief just speaks first. "Show Link here where he'll be staying. You know the place, don't you?"

There's an odd bit of irony in the chief making a haughty claim like that and then passing the task to his son, but I opt to hold my tongue on addressing it. I didn't quite hear, but I think Hiccup made some sort of quip back at Stoick before walking over towards me. For how small the boy is, he doesn't seem to have much of a problem with sassing back at the chief.

"Lead the way." I step aside to let Hiccup go through the entrance first before following him out. Shutting the door rather hastily, he walks a few paces ahead and turns back to me.

"What happened out there? I heard thunder, and a dragon and-" I take a moment to gesture for Hiccup to hush a little bit before he gets a bit too excitable about the ordeal. "Sorry. But really, what happened?" His voice has dropped to just above a whisper, but he still seems bursting with questions on the inside.

Goddesses, where do I begin. I think I'll leave out the part about getting lost. "Come on." I urge him to go on so that I don't have to stand out here while I speak. "Before I explain, lemme ask you," I begin in a hushed voice to match Hiccup's. "Are there any dragons you know of that spit lightning instead of fire?"

The question seems to have caught him off guard, because his expression blanks out for a good few seconds. At least he's still walking. "Lightning?"

He takes a moment to think, and deeply at that. You can practically see him flipping through the mental pages of his brain. "Well... when Night Furies attack, all anyone sees is a flash and then an explosion. But... I've never heard of them attacking with lightning."

Night Fury? That was the dragon that let him go. There's no chance that it was one of those, they didn't even look alike. Their snarls and roars sounded different too. "No, it wasn't one of those. This thing... it looked like a demon."

"Demon, huh?" Surprisingly, Hiccup scoffs at the word. "Well, that won't help you. The people here call almost every dragon the same thing. Demon, devil, terror, beast... sometimes they get creative."

"I wonder how they'd react if you told them one of those 'demons' let you go free."

Hiccup staggered a moment as if my words themselves had tripped him. When I looked over to his face, there was a nervous smile mixed with a grimace gracing his features. "What?"

Albeit slightly shakily, he does explain himself. "Maybe... don't tell anyone that part. People here aren't very..."

Open-minded. Zelda taught me that term, albeit the concept was already well known to me. She'd comment on how much of a task it was to bridge relations between the different races of Hyrule because some aren't as open-minded as others. Attempting to both interact with the Bulblins as well as calm down public concerns about them showed me plain as day that you can't simply change minds overnight. Except for King Bulblin, Nayru knows what's going on in his simple head.

"I get it," I mutter back. "You think that one's special? Or would any of them have spared you?"

Keeping mindful of our surroundings, I lower my voice even further down to a whisper. Hiccup himself looks around quickly before replying in the same whisper.

"I... don't know. Maybe it's just because I freed it. What about you?"

Good question. I've killed two dragons and fought one since I've been here, and none of them offer me any consistent basis. The first was bloodthirsty and reckless, the second looked regretful right before the end, and the most recent encounter was patient and almost calculating. They're as different as people.

I answer Hiccup as truthfully as I can, but the answer probably won't please him much. "I need to know more about them first. We both do."

"Oh, don't you worry about that," Hiccup declares sarcastically. "I'll learn everything about them in dragon training tomorrow. I guess."

"Dragon training?" That's right, his father and that blacksmith did mention taking Hiccup into training. I can't imagine that the kid would be too thrilled to go right into learning how to kill dragons after being spared by one though.

"Yeah, uh... We all start training tomorrow. Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, the twins... and then me." He's saying names and I honestly wish I knew who they referred to.

"You don't have to go, you know."

He scoffs before I'm even done saying the sentence. "And just defy Stoick the Vast?" He puts on a bit more of a theatrical tone when saying his father's full title, more sarcasm dripping from his tone. "You really are new around here."

"Right, and what exactly do they teach you in dragon training?" I can notice him avoiding eye contact with me, judging by his uncomfortable fidgeting as I continue to glare at the back of his head.

"Oh you know, just... the essentials." I almost feel a little bad hearing his tone drop so far so fast. "How to gut a Gronckle, which head to cut off a Zippleback, the best place to spear a Nadder... Important viking stuff."

There's about a dozen things I could say in response to that, and I'm not sure which one is ideal. I suppose simple is best, as the only response I offer is a soft, "you won't."

"I can't," he retorts. "I'm just... not like them."

This is a unique position for me. I thought of this before to be like Colin's situation, but it truthfully couldn't be more different. I'm caught between wanting to encourage him to find a way to be accepted by everyone else, but his gentle heart is something to be treasured as well. Perhaps it's the heart of a coward, but either way, it belongs to a boy that knows no bloodshed.

After some moments of silence, Hiccup pulls ahead of me. I think about calling out to him, but it's probably better to shelve the topic for now. At least until we get to... wherever I'm staying.

A year ago I might have been thankful for the silence between us now, but having spent as much time as I did with Midna, it just comes off as awkward. Damn it, kid, be more talkative. It's easier to listen than to speak anyway.

...

Fine, I'll do it.

"Is it much further to the place?"

I could see his shoulders jolt ever so slightly. I probably roused him from whatever thought he was absorbed in.

"Ah, yeah. I mean, no. We're almost there."

He's stumbling over his words again, unsurprisingly, but I opt not to regard it.

"He's not giving me a whole house, is he?" I ask with a slight bit of unease.

Hiccup scoffs at the question, doing away with some of my worries.

"Of course he is. Just been built too."

Goddesses damn it. Wait, what? "I've been here a day, how's it already built?"

"Yeah, how long does it take to make houses where you're from?"

I swear to Din, my confusion must be spread across my whole face. It's gotta be a smaller house, right? Like, shed-sized. It can't actually be a full size house.

We walk for a few minutes longer before Hiccup directs me behind another house. He stops in front of the location with a nonchalant, "we're here," and by this point my brain has more or less ceased function in the face of my confusion.

The house is the same size as every other, maybe even a bit bigger than a few. Seriously, what the hell. I mean, it's... basic? I guess? It's not as stylized as the other houses around the villages, but this is still a whole house.

"So... that house is empty, right?"

Please say yes.

"Course not, it's got everything you should need. The bed might only be straw, though. Not enough time to shear a sheep and all."

Why.

Aren't I a hero? Shouldn't I be camping out in the woods or something?

Did I ever even sleep at that inn back at Kakariko?

...Did I even sleep?

"Uh... Link?"

Ah, right. Hiccup's slightly confused voice brings me back to reality, but unfortunately back to the unnecessarily nice house before me.

"It's just... don't you think this is a bit much?" Honestly, I've never been that good with praise or hand-outs. Accepting the rewards that people insisted on giving me across my adventure was troublesome enough, but Midna wouldn't let me give up any.

Of course, though, Hiccup just shrugs in response. "Berk is kind of like one really big family. Sure, you just got here, but that doesn't matter. Vikings here tend to work together as long as everyone is willing."

I cast a somewhat skeptical glance in his direction before replying, "Isn't it a bit hasty to consider me part of this 'family?'"

"Maybe," he says with a shrug. "But that hasn't stopped any of us before."

Unintentionally, I click my tongue in reply. I'm not trying to be rude, but having such an impressionable way of life has got to come with its share of problems. People in Hyrule are open to one another, true, but every village has its own standards and some need for trust.

I take another look at Hiccup, still turned away from me and instead looking at the house. A scowl assaults my features, directed not at the boy, but instead my own constantly shifting opinion of this village. The leader of the Royal Guard within me sees these people as fools for being so trusting, while the farm boy wants to give in to the comfortable community set before me.

Within a little over a day's time, I've been offered two sides to this village; the peaceful calm of an organized community and the hostile environment of a village forced to defend themselves. One moment I'm being interrogated by the chief and then next I'm helping him in planning a raid on the dragon's den. The boy before me and his own father is enough of a contrast to show me how little I really know about this place.

I can't tell if the emotion I'm feeling is confusion or frustration, nor can I tell who the target of it is. Of course, this uncertainty only annoys me further and the cycle continues itself. I roll my eyes at no one in particular and decide to shelve the thought for now, lest it get in the way of my better judgement. Hiccup's already left my sight, most likely in the house already. I follow him inside, taking some brief mental notes of the house around me as I do.

The first thing I notice about the interior is that the house appears much larger on the outside. It stands to reason that there might be some extra padding between the exterior woodwork and the interior, given the village's history with dragons. That or shoddy architecture, I'm not going to guess which.

The only pieces of furniture is a single bed, albeit large enough to fit a Goron, and a humble nightstand beside it. There's no rugs, no shelves, nothing like the barracks back in Castle Town, or even my treehouse in Ordon. The forgotten crates left behind from the construction process could probably suffice as furniture to some, but something tells me that they'll be moved out soon enough.

I take a few steps around the house, listening to the way the wooding creaks with each step, and the way my footsteps echo off of the empty walls. Hiccup finds a vacant crate to sit on, albeit a bit warily.

Part of me is a little glad that there's not much decoration, at least it makes me feel better about imposing on them like this, even if they did offer it to me. Normally, I'd request a chest to put my belongings in, but it's not like I'm carrying much. Would at least be nice if I had my bow, but non-lethal methods might suit my surroundings better anyways.

"Little light on the decor, but hey it's something, right?" Hiccup chimes from his spot on a noticeably weakening crate.

I offer a half-hearted shrug in response as I walk over to the bed, my ears still unconsciously twitching at each reverberating footstep. "I've grown up with less. Nothing I can't fill up on my own." Granted, my treehouse in Ordon wasn't exactly empty, and the barracks in Hyrule Castle Town are far from barren, but they both pale in comparison to this house's size. Even my personal chambers among the knights is still just a room.

"That reminds me," Hiccup leans forward, eliciting more creaking from the crate supporting him. "Where _are_ you from, anyways?"

Goddesses, this question twice in a day. Well, I can't blame them. Mysterious strangers make for the best stories, I suppose. It's not like I have to be all too reserved around Hiccup either, at least opposed to his father. To some level, I can trust him not to get too suspicious or make a fuss.

I suppose it's hypocritical to chastise a village for being too trusting and then demonstrate the same thing myself. I briefly scan Hiccup's face for any signs of suspicion, but all I can find is a genuine curiosity.

"My home nation is called Hyrule. I'm sure you've guessed this already, but it's not exactly... around here." My long ears twitch as if to add to the point. I see Hiccup's eyes from mine to my ears for just a moment before returning eye contact. "To put it into a few words, it's... magical. I mean, your dragons are certainly incredible, but the monsters of Hyrule are like you've never seen."

Hiccup gulps in fear, eliciting a quiet chuckle from me. "Uh, monsters?" He blurts out.

Trying to keep a smirk off my face, I nod in response before looking down at the floorboards. "Yeah, all kinds of them. But the people are just as extraordinary. You'll never meet the same kind of personality twice in Hyrule."

Unless it's one of the guards.

"Truth be told, I can't really put it into words. I'm not particularly great with speaking anyways, but Hyrule is just that much more amazing. It's all... connected. We don't have islands like this, so everyone has to find some kind of mutual ground."

In the back of my mind, fond images of Ordon village are coming forward, reminding me of the blissful isolation that I knew for so many years. There's a certain level of understanding I can share with the people here and the small world that they maintain around here. I could feel right at home some time ago, but after seeing the things I've seen around Hyrule, I don't think I can ever go back to this sort of contained community. Maybe it would be a little pretentious to call it the spirit of adventure pushing me to new places, but the thought is all I can conjure up.

I can only assume we don't share that sentiment. This world must be all that Hiccup's ever known, regardless of whether or not he thinks he fits in. Treating the entire village as one big family, there wouldn't be much need to expand one's horizons if they have everything they need here. The dragons are a problem of course, but the people's willingness to defend the village against them sends a clear message; this is their home, and they won't be moved from it.

The silence between us as well as my own thoughts hang over me for little more than a moment. I think about what next to say, but Hiccup beats me to the punch this time. "Sounds incredible."

"Huh?" I break my gaze away from the floor and look directly at the boy. My shock only increases when I see the awestruck, starry look in his eyes. It's a different look from what Stoick had. The chief listened to the tales of a warrior, speaking more to my experiences as a hero rather than that of a person. Hiccup's heard none of that. No, instead, he's responding to my personal ramblings. And yet, he's still interested.

"Well, the whole terrifying monsters part is less than ideal... Still though, I can't imagine what's outside of this village besides more dragons."

Less than you'd think, actually.

"But you, I mean, you've actually _been _somewhere that doesn't just end at a coastline and a mountain."

I lean forward a bit, propping my head up with my arm as I speak. "I haven't even started listing the downsides. The sword on my back isn't just for show, you know."

Hiccup smiles, but this one bearing a bit more confidence to it. "Well you called yourself a knight, didn't you? I'd hope you know how to use a weapon."

He bobs his head around as he speaks, putting off a clear air of playfulness. Sarcastic little brat, but I guess it's refreshing to talk with someone that has a bit more bite to their words than my usual company. Deciding to humor him a bit, I opt to carry on. "Shouldn't it be better to not need a sword in the first place?"

"True," he makes a gesture towards me as if physically conceding the point to me. "But, that's not exactly an option here anyways, what with all the flying reptiles spitting fire." His quip paired with his motion of twirling his finger in the air earns a light-hearted scoff out of me, against my best efforts to pretend to be serious.

Admittedly, Hiccup's interesting to talk to in situations like this. He attaches a gesture to practically everything he says, for whatever reason. Part of me wonders if it's just something he does without realizing. He's certainly a theatrical speaker, by all accounts, but not to the point of annoyance. His tone is a few steps away from condescending, but not close enough to it to make me think any less of him.

A boy as frail as him, I suppose it makes sense for him to hone his tongue over his sword arm. "You've got training courses for stuff like that. When you're away from home, there's not nearly as many people watching your back."

Hiccup opens his mouth to retort, but instead decides to just offer a dry chuckle. His face doesn't change much, but the shift from his much more natural smile to a slightly nervous one tells me that I stepped on a Leever here. I suppose it shouldn't come as a surprise that he's still unsettled about the idea.

"Though I guess that's what the sword is for, huh?" I do want to address the point of dragon training sooner or later, but there's no need to force it this early in the conversation, especially when I've just started to get him comfortable. For now, I might as well keep it going before he has too much time to start worrying again. "Not a bad idea to know your way around one if you do have to travel."

His eyes bounce back between my sword and my bracers, before returning to my own eyes. "So uh..."

I raise my eyebrows as Hiccup tries to form his question. He seems to have lost most of his momentum in the conversation, and admittedly I feel a bit bad about carelessly bringing up the topic as I did. Although, while I think that he's about to go back to the topic of dragons, I see him stealing a few more glances at the hilt of my blade.

"Ah," Unintentionally, a soft laugh escapes my lips. I reach behind my back and draw the sword, pulling down on my sheath from the other end to let it draw smoothly. Hiccup jumps back in his seat a little, eliciting more creaking from the crate below him. His gaze, however, is still transfixed on the weapon in my hand.

"You wanted to ask about the sword, didn't you?" There's a slightly smug tone to my words, but it's mostly drawn from the familiarity of the look he's giving my blade. Talo always reacted the same way, no matter what kind of weapon I was bringing from point A to point B. The little devil did finally manage to get my first sword out of me, so I suppose that counts for something.

"No, no, of course not," he spurts, waving his hand back and forth dismissively. Just as quickly, he pinches his fingers together and continues. "Maybe a little."

I scoff again and flip the sword into a reverse grip to hand it safely over to Hiccup. "Careful, it's heavy." I wait for him to grip it with both hands before letting go of the hilt. Surprisingly, the sword's edge doesn't waver under his grip this time. I suppose it's not unreasonable that he remembered its weight from the last time I had him hold it.

"Thought so."

"Hm?" My ears twitch at Hiccup's mutter, bringing my eyes back up from the sword.

"I was just thinking, your sword is... so different from the ones we have around here." He begins turning the sword around in his hands to get a look at various aspects of it. Its beauty is characteristic, being beaten out only by that of the Master Sword itself. Zelda made sure to commission a weapon "worthy of my merits as a hero," as she described it.

Compared to the almost uniform straightness of the Master Sword, this royal weapon has a bit more decoration to its features. Most notably, its edge curves slightly inward towards the middle of the blade, and back out again. It's a bit more slender than the Master Sword, but Zelda had taken care to ensure that it wouldn't be an unfamiliar weight to me. The hilt itself, interestingly, is a rather large portion of the weight, probably due to whatever material it was made with. The metal lacks the almost ethereal glow that the blade of evil's bane carries, but its surface bears a dark grey finish that knows no concept of scratches or stains.

The same way that I'm taking in all of its details, I can see Hiccup's eyes thoroughly scanning every inch of the elegant weapon. He props it against the crate and rubs his finger along its edge, and then the surface. "What's this made of?" He breaks his gaze away from the weapon to ask me this quick question.

It takes me a moment to remember the details, but I think I recall what I was told. "It's a mix. Goron steel forged with dragon scales."

Due to the Gorons' living situation, they needed a material that wouldn't just crumble under the intense heat and pressure of Death Mountain. I'm sure they could manage with enough stone, but it's the mine that makes things complicated. Any mining equipment they use has to be able to match the extreme conditions within the volcano. According to legend, the ancient patriarch and leader of the Gorons, Darunia, discovered a method of excavating a black metal from the caverns of Death Mountain. It's said that he withstood the heat of the volcano to use its very lava as a forge and the result was a mighty hammer capable of tearing through rubble with ease without melting from the surrounding environment.

Honestly, the story sounds ridiculous, but given everything that I've seen, I suppose I don't have the right to judge or question it.

The metal's most notable feature, aside from its dark finish, is that it's only found within Death Mountain, and is noticeably resistant to heat. This quality has earned it a mainstay within the Hylian Royal armories, especially for our shields. It's used sparingly, given the high cost, but the small amount used is enough to make the shield notably effective in resisting fire. Some say that this trait was granted directly by the goddess Din when she descended upon the land.

The second component of the blade, mostly laid into the edge, is a fragmented dragon scale. The Gorons had happily supplied the steel as a commemorative gift for lifting the Twilight from the area, but once they had learned the sword was being made for me, Darbus insisted that he use one of their dragon scales in supply. Apparently, it was ripped from a beast known as Volvagia, a serpent-like dragon that arose some years after the imprisonment of Ganondorf. I'm told that my ancestor had helped the Gorons defeat it, and it dropped a number of its scales over the course of the battle.

Each scale was massive enough that just one was able to be broken up and forged into the razor sharp edge that adorns my weapon now. Apparently, it has a distinctive magic property, but I have yet to explore the limits of its capabilities. I have noticed that the edge takes on a plum glow when exposed to fire, however.

Despite all the myth and folklore that surrounds the two components of my blade, Hiccup seems to be wholly confused by the words alone.

"Goron steel?" Hiccup looks back down at the blade, visibly puzzled by my response.

I had a feeling that this reaction would occur. I've been forming a few theories about this place over the course of the day, as well as any observations. The building structure and weaponry told me a few things about their culture, but nothing to particularly indicate where I am. The dragons made me suspicious, especially given their bizarre bodies. They don't line up with anything I've seen around Hyrule, much like how the Twilight Beasts looked unnatural compared to the monsters of Hyrule.

The lack of magic in the surrounding area is another concern. I'm not particularly sensitive to magic, but spending as much time as I have around Midna, and especially given the time I spent within the Twilight, I've become quite familiar with the feeling of magical energy in the air around me. Hyrule itself has a noticeable amount, just enough that I can manage to make use of it, assuming that I'm at peak vitality.

Berk doesn't seem to have any of that. As I am now, I don't think I could even manage a Great Spin Attack at my best.

I didn't mention much Hylian mythology to Stoick when I had talked with him, but I directed the conversations in a manner that would at least allow anyone familiar with legend to jump in. But everything sounded new to him. Hyrule is by no means the entirety of the planet, but it's well known enough that its races at the very least should be universally understood.

I'll move on from the thought for now, but I'm starting to think that this place is much more than just a faraway land.

"Link?" Hiccup's attempts to get my attention bring me back to the fact that he's looking right at me, and probably has been for a few seconds now.

"Sorry, I was thinking about something," I reply honestly. "What's up?"

He opens his mouth again, but stops for a moment before speaking. "Who taught you how to fight?"

His eyes tell me that's not the question he wanted to ask. I get the feeling that he wanted to ask me something a bit more personal, but I won't press the subject if he won't. "I did." His eyes widen some at my response, but he keeps quiet and allows me to continue talking. "I lived close to the forest, where it would be easiest for monsters to attack from. So I started learning early on how to fight. Without a weapon, I kept coming back with bruises and cuts, so I kept worrying everybody."

I shift my weight a little bit on the bed before continuing. Hiccup's been done inspecting my sword for a while, but I let him hold onto it while I talk. "Eventually my old man comes to me one day and asks me if I want him to help me out." Looking back on my past, I scoff at myself for a moment, starting to remember the way I used to be as a kid. "I was a stubborn little shit back then. Kept shouting at him how 'You ain't my dad' or 'I ain't need help!' Took me a few years to get rid of that accent, by the way."

"Eh, you get used to it," Hiccup remarks while shrugging.

We both laugh a bit, a nostalgic smile taking over my own features. "In some stupid attempt to provoke him, I told him that I could beat him easily. He accepted the challenge and handed me the wooden sword that he was carrying. Told me that if I hit him once, I win. He didn't even get a weapon for himself. Didn't matter though, he still made me look like a fool. All he had to do was hold out his foot when I tried to swing at him and I'd fall on my own."

"And it kept working?"

"Oh no, I learned quick. Then he just started throwing me."

"Also effective, I suppose."

I nod affirmatively in response before continuing the story. "After a while, his point was made and I was much less than pleased. Still though, he told me to keep the wooden sword. He said if I keep training with it, he might teach me how to use it. I thought about throwing the thing into the lake, but I just told myself that I could use it to deal with the monsters. It certainly helped for a bit, so I got careless and decided to go directly into the forest. I learned something very important that day."

My smile fades for a moment, and I see Hiccup stiffen up a bit. My mind races to Talo running off into the forest for a brief second, but I don't linger in my thoughts for too long. "The forests of Hyrule are dangerous. When a monster comes to us, it's all on its own. But when you bring the fight to them, they coordinate. They work together. By the time I managed to cut down one monster, it already called over five of its friends and I was surrounded."

Surprising myself, I let out a self deprecating scoff as I remember the way this story ends. "I guess I shouldn't say that there's no one watching your back after all."

"Huh?" Hiccup tilts his head in confusion as I mutter a sardonic response to my own words from earlier.

Rather than clearing up his confusion, I opt to continue on with the story. "Anyways, I'm sure you've guessed, but I didn't die in that forest that day. Turns out old man Rusl had been keeping an eye on me ever since out 'fight.' He sprinted right to me and carved through two monsters in half the time it took me to kill one. The rest didn't even stand a chance, they just ran. After all was said and done, he didn't scold me or anything. Just helped me up and asked if I was okay. Long as I can remember, that was the first time I'd ever cried."puts a

"Somehow I can't picture that."

"Everyone cries at some point." I reply with a shrug. "In any case, once we got back to the village, he asked me again if I wanted him to teach me how to use a sword. This time I accepted. I was always light on my toes and a scrappy little bastard, but knowing how to use a weapon is a whole 'nother thing."

I push myself up from my position on the bad so that I'm sitting proper again. "So," My story concluded, I hold out my hand to take my sword back from Hiccup. Wordlessly, he sets the hilt back in my hands, and I return it to its custom sheath. "Why'd you ask?"

Switching off to his turn to tell a story, I lean forward intent on listening. "Well, I was just thinking..." He scratches the back of his head, almost habitually as he speaks. "Everyone around here fights the same, y'know? A real _viking's_ way, throwing around a sword with all your strength." He puts on a fake accent for his last sentence, mimicking the other vikings that I've spoken to around here.

"But you, the way you fight is so... different."

"You saw me fight once," I scoff back.

"And you fought differently." I roll my eyes at his simple response, but gesture for him to keep going anyways.

"Different how, then?"

Hiccup puts a hand to his chin for a moment, visibly mulling over his choice of words. I wait patiently as I listen to the series of vocalizations coming from his pondering. "It's like a dance."

"A dance?"

"Yeah," He pats the palm of his hand with his fist as if he found the perfect way to describe it. "The way you moved around the- uh, you know."

"Mhm."

"Right, the way you moved around it while attacking, every move you make is just..."

"Fluid?" I finish his sentence for him, to which he returns with a big nod.

Truth be told, this isn't the first time I've heard my fighting style described like that. Midna had a similar complaint about watching me fight in my Hylian form, as she much prefers my straightforward approach as a wolf instead. I haven't particularly developed a preference for either form, since each one has its benefits. It is, however, much easier to get around in wolf form.

"A battle is an exchange, Hiccup. If you try to rush in without responding to your enemy, you're gambling everything on your own strength. At the same time, you can't be too passive when reacting or else you just give your opponent too much room to work with. So..." I push off the bed and onto my feet for the first time since we've begun talking. Hiccup looks up at me in confusion, but I ignore his expression and gesture for him to get up off from the crate. He complies, albeit warily.

"Let me show you. Try and hit me."

"What?" He spits out incredulously.

"Come on, you'll see in a moment." I put my hands at my hips, making my very posture inviting to an attack.

Hiccup's still noticeably bothered by the idea of trying to fight me, but he balls up his hands into fists and takes stance anyways. It's a weak looking stance with little grounding, but that's not the point of the exercise.

After some moments of posturing, he decides to throw a punch. It's weak, but it's direct and serves the intended purpose. I block the punch lazily with my forearm and allow Hiccup a moment to recover before returning the punch with a light one of my own. I make sure to match the pace of Hiccup's own punch for the sake of the practice, and just as I hoped, he threw up his frail arms with plenty of time to block the "hit."

"That's me being too passive."

I pull back my hand and gesture for him to strike again. The moment I see him move his arm to punch again, I move in on him myself at the same pace I did last time. I partially expected him to draw back, but I assume his knowledge of this being an exercise allowed him the confidence to continue without worry. With neither of us retreating, our knuckles meet their targets, his small hand being pressed against my stomach with mine being lightly rested on his shoulder.

"Too aggressive. Much too predictable at that."

This is the last time. We both return to our resting positions and I make one last gesture for Hiccup to strike. This time, I decide to shift slightly from side to side in an almost floaty manner. Hiccup tracks my movement with his eyes for a few seconds before moving in to attack. Once again, he punches with the same hand as the previous two times. Rather than block the punch, I carry it away from my body with the outer part of my forearm. I carry my free hand towards Hiccup's stomach while his own arm is out at his side, still recovering from the "parry."

"_That_ is the exchange." My fist is stopped mere hairs from his stomach, no doubt filling him with some sense of nervousness.

"I uh, I don't get it."

"The first time I let you attack while I just stood there. It gives you more time to think about what you want to do, and what your next response to me should be."

"Don't... you have that same amount of time, though?"

"I do. The difference is, though..." I hold my hand out in a fist next to his cheek, leaving it there. He looks back at me for a moment before slowly lifting his hand to push it away. I grab his hand with the same one near his face the moment I see him move towards it. Wrapped up in the exercise, and probably having learned a little bit from the last couple examples, he aims another strike at me with his free hand. Catching the small fist with my own free hand, I've left the boy immobilized, and more importantly, in my grasp.

"You still have to react to what I do. If both sides have this much time to think about what they're going to do, you don't want to be the one defending unless you're sure you can counterattack." Still holding his fists, I raise the hand that he used to throw the second punch. "And you're sure that you can do it properly."

I let go of Hiccup's hands and step back while he rubs at his knuckles absentmindedly. "The second time I let you attack was less of an exchange and more of a trade. When two enemies are so wrapped up in attacking first, both of them leave themselves wide open."

"Well, I'm sure you'll find that's more the viking way." He pretends to flex his muscles this time, eliciting another light chuckle from me.

"The third time was the real dance. It looked a lot like the first time, but what looked different to you?"

"For one, you were doing that weird side-to-side thing." The kid's blunt, that's for sure.

"That's one. When you keep moving, no matter how slight, it means your opponent can't just make an obvious attack. The second part is the fact that instead of blocking your attack, I moved it away. And suddenly..." I take hold of his wrist and move it away from his body to around the same place it was before. "Your body is open."

Hiccup looks back at his own arm for a moment, then to his chest area. Finally, his eyes find their way back onto me. "But you're still reacting."

I let go of his wrist and sit back down on the bed, my lesson all but concluded. At least the example portion of it is. "I am. But instead of just taking whatever attack you have head on, I have more options this way. It's all about momentum, Hiccup. When you stay moving, there's no awkward transition from defense to offence. If I dodge, I can use that same momentum to attack your side. If I parry, I can use _your_ momentum to lead you right into an attack. When you block, you're making a decision to give up all of your momentum and hope that it stops theirs."

"Right, well," Following my lead, Hiccup walks back over to his spot on an empty crate, smoothing out his clothes first. "I'm not sure how much dragons will follow that momentum, but-" Cutting him short, the crate finally gives out from under him, the top breaking away and planting Hiccup right into the middle of the empty box.

Honestly, I expected this to happen, but it doesn't make it any less funny. I at least try to spare him the rudeness of laughing aloud, allowing only a smile to be visible.

He quickly gets up off the remains of the crate and brushes off his clothes, standing up straight as if nothing happened. I can see a tinge of pink flushing his cheeks as he clears his breath and begins speaking again. "B-But," Ah, he stuttered. "I uh, appreciate the lesson."

"Of course."

"Well, I should be going. Y'know, got a big day to prepare for tomorrow." Hiccups turns towards the door and begins taking exaggerated steps, swinging his arms as he walks.

The topic I tried to stay away from ironically ends up being the very thing that our conversation ends on. I still have so much more I want to find out, but pressing the subject onto Hiccup feels unfair. He himself doesn't look too pleased in the slightest to be training on how to kill dragons, so I can only assume that he failed to convince his dad otherwise. I suppose in some ways, this is inevitable. And yet...

I watch Hiccup as he walks away, his enthusiasm being visibly drained with each step he takes. By the time he's out the door, it looks as if he's been forced away from his safe haven and cast into something he's simply expected to do. I close my eyes and let out a heavy sigh before calling out to him.

"Hiccup." He turns back to face me with a somewhat confused look on his face. Again, I get up from the soft bed and walk over to him through the massive door. "Take me with you to dragon training."

He blinks several times before even beginning to process what I said, his mouth left agape as the bewildered boy tries to form words. After some seconds of half vocalizations, he manages to spit out a simple question. "What?"

"You don't want to do this, that much I can tell. I don't have the authority to get you out of it, but I can at least make the experience less painful." Both literally and figuratively, I'm hoping.

"Look, Link, I know that you're really good at fighting, but-"

"You don't want to kill dragons." I cut him off in a slightly hushed tone. "I gathered that. It's not the fighting I'm trying to help you with."

"So what _are _you trying to help me with?" His words are harsh and jaded, but the tone beneath them is just laced with discomfort and a twinge of fear. Poor kid. I can't bring myself to be mad at his father for pushing him into this, but I have zero intention to leave him alone to something he doesn't want to do either.

"I'll be honest, Hiccup. I don't know anything about dragons. I don't know anything about Berk. All I know how to do is fight. But you can do more than that. You saw that dragon back there as more than just another enemy, didn't you?" Hiccup's not incredibly short, but he's still a whole head shorter than me and then some. I kneel down a bit and place my hands on his shoulders, my blue eyes level with his green ones.

"If you don't want to fight dragons, understand them, Hiccup. It's not being a coward, it's being kind. And if I can help you figure out how to deal with dragons without killing them, then by all means..." I take my left hand off his shoulder and hold his right hand in it instead. The Triforce glows ever so faintly, and for a moment it feels as if it's warming my hand against the chill of the night.

"I want to carry you to that goal."

Just who am I protecting right now? This village? The dragons?

Or is it all just for this frail boy in front of me?

I don't particularly care either way. I made up my mind earlier in that I would protect the village. That goal has yet to change, only the method I've chosen to go about it in. I could hack and carve my way through every dragon in this area, but it wouldn't solve a thing, not if they can all think and fear like I've come to suspect.

Perhaps they follow the strongest side, like the Bulblins. Perhaps they have some brutal history with the vikings that make them act this way. Or maybe they're simply capable of the same evil that us people are. I honestly don't have a clue, but if there's still a way around cutting my way through the problem, I'll gladly take it.

So I'll stake my chances on this one meek boy, if only for the value of that very quality. The one boy that I've come across that goes against the grain, both in body and ideals.

He looks back at me, eyes trembling slightly. He closes his mouth and looks down, but I don't make an attempt to get his attention again. It's important that he makes this decision of his own accord.

After a silence that feels like an eternity, he looks back up at me with a wry smile on his face. "I guess we'll have to talk to Gobber in the morning, won't we?"

I stare back at him for a moment, slightly surprised by the chipper tone of his answer. Still though, my happiness over his response gets the better of me, and I can't help but start laughing with a bright smile.


	4. First Impressions

The sun shines brilliantly on a new day, washing away the brisk cold of night that Berk holds with it. It's been some time since daybreak, and I can now see the sun standing well over all of the houses in Berk, but not quite yet in the middle of the sky. Vague as this positioning may be, it signals to me that it's time to go.

Hiccup and I had taken it upon ourselves to go and meet with the man conducting the dragon training, Gobber. I'd met him twice before, so I was at least spared the formalities of introductions. I'd quickly proposed my interest in taking part in dragon training, which he understandably took with some confusion and a twinge of concern.

After a brief conversation, I conceded to sit in as only an observer so as to not overtake the others in their own training. There were some secondary conditions made to my participation, on both sides, likely to preserve the system in place that Gobber may have already had planned. I accepted most of them without protest, but added the condition of my own that I am to be allowed to intervene if I deem it necessary. Technically speaking, this would be any time I decide one of the trainee's life to be in danger, most likely to be Hiccup.

Normally, we'd have departed for it together, but Hiccup commented that he had some things to take care of first. It's unsurprising to me, given that most of the adult vikings had departed before first light earlier today. The coastline, previously bursting with idle ships was now empty and tranquil as could be, aside from the odd wave crashing against the cliffs. The only adults left on the island are Gobber and some guards placed sparingly throughout the island in the case of another dragon attack.

I myself had a few preparations to make, but few and far between. I figured it would be best to sharpen my sword, given that I'm not quite sure yet what effect dragon scales have on this type of metal. While I doubt there are any grindstones here capable of honing such a tough material, I did begin keeping a file with me around the time that I acquired the royal sword. The process of maintenance took some time, but not nearly enough to keep me occupied throughout the morning.

A thought had then occurred that it'd do me well to try to replicate some of the items I'd used over the course of my adventure, since I don't exactly have a way to get back to them now. In retrospect, it was quite the oversight that I opted not to bring any with me, but I hadn't intended to stay out long without reporting back to Hyrule Castle. I do wonder how Zelda's doing. Hopefully she's not too worried about me, but she probably is.

Either way, without my typical repertoire of items, I'm rather limited in what I can do against flying enemies. I can't recreate the better part of my items, at least not with my own abilities, but perhaps I can start simple with the likes of a bow or the slingshot. Perhaps I could go about a makeshift bomb, but I don't feel that I'll need anything that lethal. For this purpose, I spent a fair bit of the morning on the edge of the forest closest to Berk, looking for any wood that I could make use of for a bow. I've never made one before, so admittedly, it'll be a learning process.

I've been told that using fallen logs off the ground is a rather poor way to acquire wood for a bow due to the fact that they tend to be already rotting and prone to snapping in your hands. As such, I borrowed an axe as I left the village and began my search for a suitable tree. It didn't take long before I settled on a reasonably sized tree to start swinging at. As much as I did talk down this village's metalwork, I can at least assert that the axe does its job, as it took me no more than ten minutes to fell the hefty tree. Perhaps my own strength played a factor in that, but credit where credit is due.

Splitting the fallen tree into a usable log took even less time, thanks to the benefit of gravity carrying every swing. Sure enough, I was left with a solid section of wood to be used for my little project. I had returned to the viking that I'd borrowed the axe from with a block of wood slung over my shoulder. I'd taken the opportunity to chop the log into a rectangle stock, leaving behind the unused chunks for firewood in a neat pile outside. He'd stated earlier that there was no need for me to repay him, but seeing as how I'm not using those parts, I might as well. I briefly informed the viking where to find the rest of the fallen tree before returning back to my oversized house.

From that point to about twenty minutes ago, I've sat on the floor drawing out the desired shape for my bow into the wooden block. Of course, the design is largely based off my own back in Hyrule, but it's not without some minor changes, mostly manifesting in the shape of the bow. I'd taken my time drawing seeing as how I was only looking to eat up the morning. Since then, I've just been silently watching the sun climb higher and higher on the horizon, taking in the various sounds of the village.

I hop down from my perch on the roof of my house where I had been waiting and set off for the location of the arena, as Hiccup had described it. I'm not too troubled over the lack of his guidance, as he described its location in a rather identifiable area of Berk. Apparently the area on a small cliff bearing a larger bluff looming above it, rather easily accessible via a small bridge linking the cliff to the edge of the village. It's rather hard to miss, even for those like myself unfamiliar with the area.

As I make my way to my destination, I'm glancing towards every corner that comes into my view, trying to gauge by just how much the village has been thinned out from the expedition. Unsurprisingly, it's by a lot. Aside from the odd guard, there's a few vikings that weren't willing to go along. That or not able. Most of them seem to be doing housework, so I can imagine their decision to stay behind was by no means selfish. A few of them offer a greeting as I pass by, which I just respond to with a wave or a nod. Gobber's shop remains open, but of course he's not there on account of being the one to coordinate the dragon training. Still though, I can probably make use of it from time to time.

The closer I get to the arena, the more the ground elevates. Be it by coincidence or deliberate planning, the arena is set in a fashion to be looked up to, almost like a realm beyond the trivial life of a regular viking. Perhaps I'm just looking too much into it. Either way, by now I can see the top of the metal cage surrounding the arena, so there's not much more to go. I've yet to see anyone ahead of me, but I haven't bothered to turn around to see if there's any of the recruits following behind.

The closer I get, I get a clearer image of the bizarrely shaped area where all the training is to be held. From just across the small bridge, I can now see that the top of the cage I was spotting before is actually open, serving as more of a fence than an enclosed area. There's a ring of wooden ledges surrounding the entirety of the area, likely as a spectator stand. There's some strange riggings spread out through the ledges, but I can't see what they are from here, nor do I think that I'll understand. Crossing the bridge, I see a small grate-like door on the ground. I walk up and peer inside to see that it leads downwards into this waiting area with a large gate at the end.

"This must be it," I mutter before grabbing hold of the hatch. It's actually a bit heavy, probably due to the fact that it's made for vikings. Either way, I throw it open for anyone else that might come in behind me and stroll into the waiting "room." Like I thought, I'm the first one here. I take the time to peer through the oversized gate and look about the arena.

It's surprisingly well stocked, with swords and axes decorating racks lined around the walls. I can see a shield rack in the corner next to some large metal doors with hefty bars keeping them shut. The arena is a nice size too, offering for plenty of movement without being too spacious to prevent proper instruction. If this wasn't a place for killing dragons, I'd be more inclined to give them some credit.

I wonder just how early I am. I don't see anyone approaching behind me, nor do I hear any footsteps in the distance. I don't particularly mind the silence and free time though, given that it's been representative of most of my morning as is. I lean against the wall and wait patiently, my arms crossed, as I look absentmindedly into the arena. My eyes wander about here and there, but nothing new catches my eye. After a few minutes of nothing, I end up closing my eyes altogether, resigning to the monotony of my own thoughts instead.

After a point, without even realizing it, I've begun to hum a familiar song. The Hero's Shade had taught it to me during our mutual howling sessions, which I had eventually recounted to Zelda later. According to her, it was a song passed down through the Royal Family to those they trusted most dearly. Supposedly, her handmaiden had sung it to her nearly every night when she was a child. I'd taken to calling it Zelda's Lullaby for that very reason, despite the Queen's protests.

It's a rather simple tune, with no lyrics accompanying it. Only a docile melody meant to soothe the heart. I'd hummed it on one other occasion for Zelda, shortly after the fall of Hyrule Castle. Funny enough, that was the very occasion that prompted her to inform me of the song's origins.

Truth be told, I'm not sure what made me think of this particular song out of all the others that I'd come to know. I've only been gone from the castle for a few days, so it's not as if I miss her highness.

The more I hum, the more tranquil the world around he seems. I can hardly hear the idle chirping of birds anymore, nor the shifting of the waves below me. I keep my eyes shut, lest I shatter the illusion put forth before me.

I'm alone in this fragile oasis created by this simple song. I feel the heat of my Triforce on my left hand, but I ignore it in favor of this uncharacteristic calm.

I finish humming the song, and while I contemplate starting it again or moving to another one, I hear a new sound. It's soft, but I can certainly hear it. It's an instrument, not unlike a flute. The same faint melody of Zelda's Lullaby is being carried upon that strange instrument's tones, and the sound of it sends a chill down my spine.

My eyes fly open unintentionally and partially from shock, and the illusion fades away like I suspected. The faint sound of the instrument has faded away too, and in its place, I once again hear the chirping of birds and the waves crashing against Berk's cliffs. I'm not all that upset as much as I'm just confused what happened. Specifically what the sound of that instrument was. I look down at my arms, still crossed over my chest and notice that my Triforce isn't glowing, despite the heat that I certainly felt earlier.

I silently curse my lack of drive to study up on magic and the Triforce's true capabilities, but I begin searching the thin stores of knowledge I do have on the subject. Being a divine gift, the Triforce has enough mystery surrounding it as is. Being as ignorant as I am to its powers only aggravates the situation. This is all assuming of course that the illusion was caused by my own piece and not simply something that it was responding to.

I click my tongue in frustration, but there's nothing to be done about it at the moment. Perhaps it would do me well to experiment with the Triforce a bit, but I can do that later. As I begin to contemplate picking another song to occupy my time with, my ears twitch at the sound of footsteps. Sounds like it's just one person, but damn their steps are loud.

I hear a soft exclamation of surprise, likely to the hatch being open behind me. I turn my head slightly to look at the newcomer to this droll waiting area, arms still crossed.

Even amongst vikings, this boy is large. His disproportionate legs to the rest of his body make me wonder how effectively he even walks. His short, messy blond hair rests a few inches above his shoulders and is practically held in place by the small helmet atop his head. He's carrying a "small" stone hammer rather nervously, as if it's a baby about to slip from his hands. He offers me a greeting through a stutter, to which I just reply with a wave and a nod.

He picks a spot across from me, trying to avoid eye contract all the while. On normal occasions, I'd loosen up and try to make myself more inviting, but it's probably wisest for me to wait and address the group as a whole. Plus, this one seems exceedingly awkward.

After a minute or so of silence between us, the boy starts to ask me a question. I assume it's going to be simply asking for my name, but he can hardly even get the words out well enough.

"Link." I cut in, saving him some of the embarrassment.

"Wh- Huh?"

"You were going to ask for my name, right?" He nods, albeit a little slack-jawed.

"There you go. My name is Link. Yours?"

He blinks twice before fumbling around with his hammer as if he just remembered how to speak again. "M-My name's Fishlegs."

Really? Weird name, but I suppose it's fitting.

He doesn't seem to be trying to ask another question, so I close my eyes again and return to my silence. It may seem a little bit rude, but I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to talk during the training anyhow.

My ears twitch in response to a familiar sound approaching; another set of footsteps, heavier than the boy's. Oddly enough every other step sounds more like a wooden _clunk_ than a footfall. I look over to the open hatch for the next newcomer and surely enough, the frame of a large man looms over the open hatch. As I thought, it's Gobber, the one conducting this training in the first place.

"Ah, Fishlegs. You're here early." Like all the other adults around here, his heavy accent laces every word he speaks. I still haven't the slightest clue why the children don't share the same accent, but whatever. "You too, eh, Link?"

"I'm used to it," I shrug back. "How many are joining us today?"

"Well, Fishlegs is already here so that's one. Then there's Astrid, Snotlout, the twins... Oh, and Hiccup."

So six total. Rather small training group, but I can't really talk, I suppose, given the population of Ordon. I don't recognize those names, but I do remember Hiccup saying them before.

I open my mouth to offer a response, but the sound of hastened footfalls catches my attention first. This time, it sounds like two sets and for some reason, they're running. Perhaps they're eager to get started. The closer they get, I can hear the sounds of arguing, but I can't get any words out of it. Regardless, the chaotic sound is getting closer and by now it's caught the attention of the other two waiting with me.

In due time, a boy and a girl come tumbling through the open hatch, both of them finding a way to lose their balance on the downwards slope into the waiting area. Despite being face-first with the cold stone, their argument persists.

"I'm first!"

"Obviously not, that was me!"

They're both back up in an instant, immediately butting heads. More specifically, butting helmets. They look considerably slimmer than Fislegs, albeit a bit lanky. The boy in the pair, from what I can see, is ever so slightly bigger, but not by much. Beneath their horned helmets, resembling something that the Bulblin clan would wear, they have long blonde hair extending well past their shoulders. The girl's braids end up tied into decorative buns while the boy's messy locks simply hang in front of him.

True to their status as twins, they're bickering wildly like any brother and sister pair would, not bothering to acknowledge the three of us watching the ordeal take place. Keeping still at my place on the wall, I raise an eyebrow towards Gobber, who just shakes his head dejectedly. He walks over to the pair and brings down his hands on both of their heads, his metal hand making a muted clang sound as it connects with the boy's metal helmet.

"That's enough of that, you two. Hasn't anyone ever taught you to greet your elders?"

The sibling duo turns over to the rest of us, now making themselves aware of our presence as they rub the back of their heads.

"Why do we need to greet you if you already know we're here?" the boy quips back.

"It's called courtesy, Tuffnut."

"What's that?" The girl chimes in this time, to her brother's entertainment. Gobber just rolls his eyes and sighs at the pair before turning around to walk back over towards the gate.

As the twins' eyes follow Gobber, they slowly fall onto me and I can practically see the gears in their heads turning as they begin to remember me from the last dragon attack.

"Hey, you're the one that killed the Nightmare."

Thanks for reminding me. I'd almost forgotten.

"That I am. And I'd rather not discuss it either."

The twins share a collective groan in response before the girl replies, "But I thought we were supposed to learn how to kill dragons."

"Yeah, how are we gonna learn how to kill a dragon when the dragon killer won't tell us?"

Nayru's mercy, these two are going to be annoying, I can already tell. Still though, I should keep some semblance of professionalism. Probably.

"If you want to learn how to kill a dragon, then pay attention when the training starts."

The twins mutter something between themselves, but my response at least seems to have pacified them for now. Or at least gotten them off of my back. I return to the peace of my corner, ignoring the passing conversations of the twins and Fishlegs' absentminded muttering. I think he's studying something, but that's not particularly my business. I close my eyes again, but I'm not quite able to drown out the sound of everyone else this time.

Well, it could be a lot worse anyways. Plus, I wanted to do this.

It's a few minutes this time before I hear the sound of approaching footsteps again. It sounds like just one person, but I can hardly tell over the chatter of the twins beside me. I keep my eyes closed and decide to wait for the newcomer to introduce themselves instead. Somehow, his voice manages to overpower the two twins as he proclaims, "Everyone, you can go home now. The dragon killing master has arrived."

Lovely. Of course, the sibling duo wastes no time quipping back at him with their own retorts. At this point, I'm pretty sure I can hear Gobber sighing. Part of me contemplates slamming my shield against the metal gate just to get them to be quiet, but that sounds a little excessive. Might just end up scaring Fishlegs out of the damn arena while I'm at it.

The twins continue to throw insults and banter back and forth with the new loudmouthed addition to the training party until I hear a "hey wait" in the conversation, directly suspiciously in my direction. Of course, it's the loudmouthed one seeing as he's looking straight at me from where I presume to be directly past the open hatch.

"Isn't he the Nightmare killer?"

Hylia grant me patience. I'm fully aware that I just showed up in town, so perhaps I do stick out a bit more than others. But in a dragon killing village, is it really so uncommon to see someone that killed a dragon? I feel bad enough about it as is, but I suppose being constantly reminded of it is my punishment for the day.

I open my eyes and look over to him, only to be greeted with the human form of a bulblin. Despite being obviously a teenager, his arms are thick and almost muscly in some regards. His legs are rather thin, but not as much as Hiccup or even Fishlegs'. He's rather stout, but I don't think that it'd be fair to call him fat or even out of shape. Of course, just like everyone else, he has a rather primitive helmet atop his head, covering a mop-like mess of prickly brown hair.

While I'm scanning the boy, the twins respond for me before I have to, confirming his inquiry.

"Oh, well," the loudmouth clears his throat before continuing. "I could have done that too, I was just busy doing, y'know, viking stuff."

"Sure, sure you were." Gobber speaks up this time, a bit to my surprise. "You carried those buckets with the strength of a thousand vikings, Snotlout."

The twins cackle obscenely at the joke, but Fishlegs remains more or less silent across from me. The little viking, apparently named Snotlout, is of course not laughing and instead just puffs up his chest a little more.

"Yeah yeah, keep laughing. I'll be the first one to kill the dragon anyways. Maybe I'll even be nice enough to let you watch." He's made a point to look away from me and towards the twins while he's saying this, but it won't stop me from responding to his bravado.

"Yeah?" The sound of my voice quiets down all parties involved, but the twins are likely expecting me to make a joke. I lower my gaze to catch Snotlout's brown eyes before pointing to the arena behind me. "Prove it."

Snotlout's eyes dart nervously between me and the smug faces of the twins. He clears his throat again before straightening himself up. "Obviously, yeah. I'll just- show you when we're out there."

Uh-huh.

Between the twins bickering with Snotlout and each other along with his ensuing attempts to save face, I hadn't heard the next set of footsteps approaching the arena. This time it's another girl, axe at her side and sauntering proudly down the sloped path into the waiting area. Snotlout breaks away from his attempted bragging to address her, managing to squeak out a half-hearted greeting.

She's a rather petite girl, even compared to the other kids here. She's a bit shorter than the twins it seems, but her short blonde hair is much neater than either of them. She's the only one here, aside from me, without a helmet adorning her head. Unlike the others, her clothing is rather lightweight and the only armor she has to speak of are some metal spaulders on each of her shoulders. Her arms and part of her hands are wrapped in some fabric, likely as a stand-in for gauntlets.

The girl carries herself with confidence, but it's not just empty bravado and valor. Her eyes seem to be telling a different story from the others. She's not here to prove something to herself nor anyone, nor is she desperately looking for more information. The training is little more than a whetstone to hone the edge of her spirit. She walks up to the gate separating all of us from the arena, and I can see her grip on her axe tighten ever so slightly. For what little it matters to her, she is a little nervous, judging by the way she's looking around the arena.

"Nervous?" I ask in a hushed tone.

She shoots me a quick glance out of the corner of her eye before nodding her head with as little motion as she possibly can.

"Good," I whisper back. "It means you know the danger before you. Now you can learn from it."

The girl's nervousness is replaced by an ounce of confusion as she turns her head to look towards me. I break away eye contract from her to look at Gobber, who's moving to cut between us and open the gate to the arena.

"What about Hiccup?" I ask him.

"He'll be right over, don't you worry."

The massive man grabs the bottom of the gate and flicks it up with ease, freeing us all from the cramped space of the waiting area.

"Welcome to dragon training!"

He makes his proclamation to all of the recruits, turning around with a bright smile as he does. He gestured with his artificial hand into the area, beckoning myself and all the trainees into the large space. I take the first step, pushing off the wall for the first time since my arrival here. The girl I was speaking to just a moment ago follows after me, and everyone else after her.

"No turning back." I hear her soft but resolved voice behind me with a few awestruck gasps from the rest of the kids.

I walk into the middle of the arena and turn around, watching everyone else's reactions as they enter the spacious ring. Like Gobber said, I can see Hiccup in the far back making him way past the gate, looking much less than pleased to be here. Everyone else on the other hand, is looking around in wonder at the place where they'll be honing their skills.

"I hope I get some serious burns," one of the twins blurts out.

"I'm hoping for some mauling," His sister, of course, offers a response as she's done for the entirety of our time here so far. "Like my shoulder or lower back."

"Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it." This time the blonde offers a reply.

I don't have much to say myself, but I simply roll my eyes at their apparent desire for pain. Not my business, anyhow.

"Yeah, no kidding, right?" Ah, there's Hiccup.

"Pain. _Love it_." Surprisingly, he's carrying a rather unwieldy looking axe. Doesn't seem to be bothering him though.

His sarcasm isn't lost on anyone, as all of the trainees turn around to face him. I can't see their faces, but one of the twins gives me a good enough idea what they all look like with a disgruntled, "Aw great, who let _him_ in?"

"Let's get started!" Gobber calls out to the group, clearly trying to limit the backhanded chatter towards Hiccup. "Now, the recruit who does best will win the honor of killing his first dragon in front of the _entire village._" He makes an obscene motion with his hook-hand, twisting it in the air as if breaking a neck.

"Hiccup already killed a Night Fury, so does that disqualify him or..." Snotlout takes the opportunity to make his own joke, which of course the twins find humor in.

Rolling my eyes again, I walk over to the bulk of the group and speak up right behind the twins, startling them a bit. "Just means that you all have some catching up to do, don't it?" I tap the brother's spear with the tip of my finger, jostling it a bit in his grip.

"Ah right," Gobber taps his hook against his helmet as if he just remembered my status as a foreigner in this village. "We've still got some introductions to do, haven't we? Gather 'round, everyone."

"Don't worry, I've never been much for formalities," I reply rather hurriedly. I always hated having to introduce myself to the new group of Hylian guard recruits. Still did with every new batch we got, and I still do now even with dragon trainees. At least here I can drop some of the professionalism and get right to the point.

"Let's keep this short and sweet, yeah? My name is Link. I don't know how long I'll be around, but for now, I'll be sitting in and watching your training sessions." Without even realizing, a rather smug smile finds its way onto my face. "Who knows, maybe I'll learn something from you lot. Now then..."

"Snotlout, Fishlegs, Hiccup." I point at the three boys that I listed off, each of them straightening up as if they're expecting some task to be delegated to them. "I know your names. The rest of you I don't know."

"Ooh, me first!" The sister of the sibling duo speaks up first, but before she even attempts to say her name, her brother of course has a response.

"How come you get to go first?"

"Because I called it first, idiot."

Once again, they're quite literally butting helmets like a pair of ornery goats.

As if he's seen this skit a thousand times, Gobber comes up behind the twins, intent on breaking up the meaningless dispute. He grabs both of their collars and holds them up, despite their protests. "This is Ruffnut." He holds up the girl first, then the boy. "And this is Tuffnut." Without another word, he drops them back down. The pair stumbles a bit, but just barely manages to keep their balance.

"How 'bout you, blondie?" I turn towards the only remaining unnamed girl, the same one I'd briefly exchanged words with a moment ago.

"Astrid."

"Hm. I'll remember that." Let's hope she doesn't disappoint. I like this one so far.

"Now that we've got that squared away," Gobber walks past the small group of kids and myself to stand between us and the several gates on the end of the arena.

"Behind these doors are just a few of the many species you will learn to fight."

He takes his time walking past each gate as he speaks, likely breaking down the species of each dragon. It'd do me well to listen close here, I think. While he starts to speak, I move towards the entrance of the arena so that I'm out of the way once the action starts.

"The Deadly Nadder."

The first gate he passes by. I hear Fishlegs spout something that sounded like statistics, but I have no clue what he's running on about.

"The _Hideous _Zippleback."

This gate shakes a little bit, as if responding to its title. Fishlegs calls out another statistic, and for a moment I feel like I can see a scowl crossing Gobber's face. Nonetheless, he moves onto the next gate.

"The Monstrous Nightmare."

I click my tongue in response to the sinking feeling in my chest when he sounds off that dragon. Even if I didn't learn it's name earlier from Hiccup, I've had these kids mention it enough to me already to remember it by title.

"The Terrible Terror."

Gobber's picking up the speed of his introductions, and for some reason, Fishlegs seems to be getting even more excited. By this point, I can hear the statistics he's calling out rather clearly from here, to the point where Gobber yells for him to knock it off. The large boy recoils a bit, but still stays in line with the other recruits.

"And... The Gronckle."

Gobber lays a hand on the lever beside this gate, which I can only presume is what opens it. His action doesn't go unnoticed by the recruits, as Snotlout quickly voices his opinion.

"Aren't you gonna teach us first?" His voice is much less than confident, but he does bring up a good point.

Of course, Gobber's expression doesn't change. If anything, I think his grin just got wider. "I believe in learning on the job." He jerks the lever down and just like that, the large bar holding the doors in place rise and out bursts the dragon.

The Gronckle, as he called it. A rather stout beast with a body that looks like three boulders stuck together. If there was a Goron dragon, this would be it. Its two large, beady eyes rest atop it's grotesque head, with a massive mouth and a wide nose to round it out. Despite its heavy looking appearance, its wings are rather small compared to the rest of it, leading me to believe that it can only hover rather than fly around.

It proves that theory wrong incredibly quickly as it makes a beeline through the group of students. It misses all of its targets, instead slamming itself into a wall a couple meters away from me. As it tries to regain its composure, it scoops up some rocks off the ground and into its large maw. Shit, this thing really is a Goron, isn't it.

"Today is about survival," I can hear Gobber's voice over the sound of dragon wings and exclamations from the group of kids. "If you get blasted, you're dead."

He's not batting an eye at the dragon now set free to do as it pleases, but I can only assume that's due to his experience with this kind of task. Come to think of it, the Triforce of Courage isn't reacting either. Perhaps it's because I'm not necessarily perceiving any danger just yet.

"Quick! What's the first thing you need?" Not skipping a beat, he goes into the first question of his "lesson."

"A doctor?"

Preferable, but not necessary, Hiccup.

"Plus five speed?"

I don't even know what page Fishlegs is on.

"A shield!"

There we go. The correct answer comes from Astrid, who's already made herself ready to spring to action at any time, it looks like. Gobber confirms her response, prompting the recruits to start to run towards the walls of the arena, where shields and various other weapons are ready and waiting. There's a couple scattered around the floor, now that I look at it.

"Your most important piece of equipment is your shield!" Gobber continues his lecture as I watch everyone scatter about, arms crossed. "If you must make a choice between a sword or a shield, take the shield!"

One by one, the recruits hastily slip their arms through the shield straps and get running before the dragon decides to set upon them. Hiccup seems to be struggling a bit with simply finding the strap, but before I can even think about helping him, Gobber grabs the shield and throw it on Hiccup's arm before giving him a shove into the center of the arena.

I look over to one of the sides of the stone ring, and I see the twins fighting over a singular shield in a pile of about four. The dragon doesn't seem to be intent on wasting any time with it, as it shoots a fireball between the two, knocking the shield clean out of their hands. They look like they're fine, if not a little bit shaken from the impact.

"Ruffnut, Tuffnut, you're out!" Gobber calls out the first two failures in this little combat simulation before moving onto his next point.

"Those shields are good for another thing; noise! Make lots of it, and throw off a dragon's aim!"

Without skipping a beat, Astrid begins beating her axe against the metal bearings of her shield, causing a shrill clanging sound. The rest of the recruits follow suit shortly after her, despite the Gronckle looking right at them. It seems to be working just fine though, considering that its flying seems to have gotten worse. It looks frantically between the different recruits, but doesn't seem to be able to pick one to take a shot at.

"That's new," I mutter to myself. I can't recall any monsters in Hyrule hating noise or even being impeded by it. Some of the creatures I fight simply shrug off a point blank bomb explosion while half the time I need to make sure I don't lose my hearing from it.

While the Gronckle is still being distracted from the metal drumline before me, Gobber moves on to the next question in his lecture. "All dragons have a limited number of shots! How many does a Gronckle have?"

"Five?"

"No, six!" Fishlegs corrects Snotlout's guess, and much more confidently at that.

"Correct, six! That's one for each of you."

Well, that's useful to know. Turns out I was right with that other dragon back in the forest. Makes me wonder if all dragons can recharge their shots like that one did. Maybe that's why I saw this one scoop up a rock earlier. It would make some sense, but just to be sure, I'll ask Gobber later.

Despite answering correctly, Fishlegs' combat sense still has much to be desired, as the Gronckle fires off a fireball towards him. Still suffering the effects of the shield banging from earlier, its shot misses the boy and instead sends his shield flying.

"Fishlegs, out!"

The boy wastes no time running out from the center of the arena and towards the entrance. He joins the twins in the waiting area past me, leaving just Astrid, Hiccup, and Snotlout in the ring now.

Speaking of which, I think I can see Hiccup hiding behind a rack of weapons, his shield raised just above his torso.

"Hiccup, get in there!" Gobber calls out the frail viking, but a fireball shot at the wall just beside Hiccup sends him cowering behind the weapon rack again.

The Gronckle seems to have acknowledged the futility in trying to lure Hiccup out from there, as it turns around to face Astrid and Snotlout, who are for some reason rather close to one another despite all the free room in the arena. Snotlout looks incredibly distracted, and for some reason he seems to be smirking at the back of Astrid's head. I think he's saying something to her, but I can't hear from here. Still though, I'm able to put two and two together and assume that his mind is wandering elsewhere at the moment.

"Eyes open, kid!" I shout out towards him, bringing his attention back to the Gronckle flying towards the two of them now. Astrid tumbles away from the dragon's line of sight, but it wasn't her I was worried about. Snotlout raises his shield just in time to block an incoming fireball that knocks him right on his behind.

"Snotlout, you're done!" Another one down, another name from Gobber.

Now it's just Hiccup and Astrid. The former's at least come out from his hiding spot, but Astrid's tumble put her right next to him, giving the dragon a clear shot at two recruits at once. Again, Astrid picks the easier of two choices and runs out of the way while Hiccup barely manages to get his shield up to deflect a fireball. Surprisingly, he's still standing, so I guess that counts as alive in Gobber's book.

"One shot left!"

I didn't notice at first past the fire, but the shot actually sent Hiccup's shield flying from his hands and rolling across the arena. He runs off to try and retrieve it, but the dragon is keeping right on his tail as he does. Gobber calls out the boy's name with some sense of urgency, but he's not close enough to try and shake the beast off.

I click my tongue with an ounce of disappointment, but nonetheless, I grab a shield off the ground. The Gronckle's already pinned down Hiccup against a wall, but it hasn't taken its shot yet, instead just growling at the helpless viking. Works for me though.

Clenching the shield by its edge, I take aim at the side of the dragon's head first, and in turn it starts to inhale, presumably charging up a shot to ensure that Hiccup is put down for good. Wasting no time, I hurl the shield like a weapon with all my strength. The wooden disc flies through the arena like a cannon, its metal bearings giving it that much more momentum. It finds its target head on, sending the charged fireball not at Hiccup, but instead harmlessly into a wall beside him.

"Gotcha." I might have sounded a little smug, but not like it matters.

Unsurprisingly, the Gronckle's not too happy about being interrupted, as it whips around to face me and roars angrily. It's out of shots now, so of course, it's only method of attack now is-

"It's gonna charge!"

Fishlegs' exclamation doesn't go unheard by anyone in the arena, but I don't bother to move out of the way. The dragon lowers its head, like a goat ready to ram would, challenging me to try and take it on. I shift my footing a bit and raise my hands, ready to intercept the beast's mad charge.

One foot in front of the other, I keep my center of mass low to the ground and take the role of an immovable object ready to meet the unstoppable force. The Triforce of Courage flares to life, filling me with the extra confidence and strength I need to take on this assault without wavering. Looks like the Gronckle's made its own necessary preparations, as it launches off towards me with speed unlike what it's shown throughout this training session.

I hear some exclamations of fear from the recruits, and even Gobber trying to warn me of the danger. Still though-

"Link!"

I'm fine.

If the dragon had opened it's mouth during its charge, I would have made the choice to duck under it and go for the tail instead, but it had no such intent. Its only goal was to bludgeon me with the massive weapon that it calls a head. It runs right into my grip and the weight of the impact pushes me back a bit. Not by much though.

Every time a goat would go out of control in Ordon, or a Goron would come tumbling down Death Mountain to try and stop me, my goal was never to stop their charge and counter attack. Instead, I would always aim to use their weight and momentum against them. Gravity was a wonderful ally back then, and while I can't exactly make use of the ground against a flying enemy...

"The wall will do just fine for you!"

I growl out a taunt towards the dragon, unnecessary as it may be, before repositioning my hands to grab it by its two large teeth jutting out from its massive mouth. Before it has a moment to think about biting, I focus all of my strength into carrying the dragon into the stone wall beside me. The force of the impact leaves the wall completely shattered in a small radius around the dragon's body. Its wings beat against the wall a couple times before they completely stop, signaling that the beast has been knocked out cold. Its stubby body is lodged in the wall for a few seconds before its weight breaks off another section, sending it crashing to the ground.

A heavy breath leaves my mouth as the heat of the Triforce against my left hand fades. It's soon replaced with a tingling numbness from having withstood the dragon's charge head on. While I'm shaking my hands in an attempt to get some feeling back, I can hear the kids in the waiting room beginning to breathe again.

"Woah. That's hardcore," Tuffnut says, mouth open.

"Well, what do you know? Looks like you've got a bit of viking in you after all!" Gobber's cheerful proclamation reaches my ears from the other side of the arena, drawing a smirk out of me. I look over to where Hiccup was cornered, and sure enough he's still there. Unharmed, but visibly shaken. Normally I'd go get him up, but Gobber's already walking over to pick him up off the ground.

"Oh, don't you worry, the rest of you. You'll get another chance," he adds, using his real hand to help Hiccup up off the ground. "Remember, a dragon will always-" He leans in towards Hiccup, repeating himself to drive home the point. "_Always... _Go for the kill."

Ah, I wouldn't be so sure. Hiccup seems to share the sentiment, as he looks back at the scorched mark on the wall with a perplexed look on his face. Gobber on the other hand, is already walking towards the unconscious Gronckle besides me, probably to bring it back to its cage.

"So, what's next?"

"Next? Well," Gobber grunts while tugging on the bulbous tail of the Gronckle, trying to answer my question at the same time. "Can't work too hard on the first day. Give 'em some time to rest and I'll get to teaching them all about the Book of Dragons later."

Little light, don't you think? I won't deny that was a pretty intense first training session for trainees new to fighting dragons, but still, it probably took me longer to walk here than it did for all that to finish.

"Mind if I conduct a lesson of my own, then?"

"Sure, just try not to wreck the place. This arena can only take so many Gronckles in the wall, you know." He gestures over to the dragon shaped hole in the wall, a direct result of my intervention.

"I'll do my best," I respond with a chuckle. Astrid and Hiccup are still in the ring, the latter avoiding eye contact with the former, but the others remain in the waiting area. "You four, come on back in. And take your weapons with you."

Following my instructions, the group all slowly lines back up in the center of the arena, muttering back and forth between one another. Probably about what just happened, but maybe about something else. Either way, they all take their spots again, holding their weapons with a bit more fatigue this time around. Hiccup is practically dragging his axe on the floor, in contrast to Astrid, who has hers resting against her shoulder.

"You all could stand to learn a thing about teamwork, so let's work on that." As I speak, I start to undo the straps holding my sword and sheath on my back, eliciting a couple reactions of fear from the group.

"Why would I need to know how to work as a team? Everyone knows I work best alone." Snotlout is, of course, the first one to speak up.

"Oh, is that why you weren't paying any attention when the dragon blasted you?"

I don't bother waiting for a response, instead turning away now that I've gotten the scabbard off my back. I draw the sword from its sheath, but it's not the weapon I'm interested in this time. Laying the blade carefully against the wall, I return to face the group before I continue on. "Here's a simple fact of life. Dragons are stronger than all of you."

"That doesn't really sound convincing coming from the person who just wrestled a Gronckle."

Hiccup's actually the one to speak up this time. The group glances over at him, but no one bothers to disagree.

"That's why I said all of _you_," I quip back, twirling the empty sheath in my hands. "There's lots of ways to beat an enemy stronger than you. You can outrun it, you can outsmart it, or... you can outnumber it."

"Yeah, uh, that didn't really help us a second ago." Ruffnut this time. She's technically not wrong, but her point lets me get to the real purpose of this exercise.

"No, it didn't. Because none of you bothered to work with each other. So, we'll play a little game to teach you all teamwork."

"Oh, I love games!" Fishlegs exclaims.

"So... what kind of game is this exactly?" Astrid, on the other hand, isn't nearly as excited from what it sounds.

I tug on the ends of my bracers, making sure they're both secure before I start. "You're all going to try to land a hit on me."

Fishlegs' expression, among others, falls instantly. "On second thought, can we play a different game?"

Ignoring his complaint, I continue on to explain the rules of this new activity. "If just one of you manages to hit me with your weapon, you all win. I won't be guiding you through this, but I will be calling out any personal flaws that I see."

"Won't we... hurt you?" Astrid makes no attempt to hide her concern about this particular method of training. Still though, I'm wearing a comfortable smile on my face.

"I'm not as frail as I look. And neither are these clothes." I pound my chest with my fist, allowing the sound of my chainmail to reach the recruits' ears. While my tunic does very little to mitigate any blunt force inflicted against me, it's still nigh impossible to cut or pierce, except maybe to enemies with enough strength to overpower its blessing. Still, it's not like I plan on getting hit either way.

"So wait, if we're trying to hit you, what are you gonna do to us?" Tuffnut leans against his spear as he asks, his sister nodding in agreement just after he does so.

"Well of course, I'll be fighting back." Unsurprisingly, Hiccup, Fishlegs, and Snotlout all react fearfully to that response. The twins for some reason seem even more excited, while Astrid simply remains neutral. "Don't look at me like that, you three. I'll only be using this sheath in two ways. Obviously, I'll be trying to deflect your weapons with it."

"A-And, the other way?" I think I can see Fishlegs' hammer quivering in his hands.

"If I tap your neck with the sheath, you're dead." I lightly tap the sheath's edge against my own neck a couple times for the sake of the example. "But, feel free to get up as many times as I knock you down, as long as this doesn't touch your neck. Of course, I win if I manage to take all of you down."

"Am I the only one concerned about fighting a man who just threw a Gronckle at a wall?"

"Uh, yeah, that sounds awesome." Despite Snotlout and Fishlegs sharing Hiccup's fearful look, neither of them bother to voice an empathetic opinion, with only Tuffnut chiming in with his own to the contrary.

"Well, if we've got that all covered, let's get started shall we?"

I pull the Hylian shield from my back, strapping it to my right arm. The trainees clutch their weapons with varying degrees of readiness, but all that matters is that they're on the same page. I take a couple practice swings in the air with my sheath, serving both the purpose of getting my arm ready and testing the nerve of the recruits. A couple of them flinch, but no one backs down.

"One more thing." The air about the arena changes in an instant, being overrun with the combined tension of all of the soon to be combatants. "I'm not just gonna stand back and let you come to me."

My final warning to the trainees presented, I kick off the ground and charge towards the group. If my limbs were still being strengthened, I probably would have shattered the stone beneath my foot. My first target is Astrid, and it's no coincidence either. If I want this to be a learning experience, I can't simply take down the first person I run at. I can't guess how the others might react, but something tells me that they might not even think to dodge.

Astrid, however.

For Astrid, this fight had begun the moment that I'd even started explaining it. That's how ready she seemed to be. The tip of my sheath finds air, and my target has already vaulted backwards, axe ready for a counter-strike. The other recruits take a second to get into the rhythm, like I thought, but they quickly catch on in their own ways.

The twins have an interested plan of attack, which entails running straight at me, spears raised. At least they're in sync, but-

"Too obvious!" I bat away one of their spears with my shield, knocking it into the other. As I thought, they're aiming past me, not at me. They're still charging forward with the same reckless abandon that I'd just demonstrated the futility of a few minutes ago, the hole in the wall being constant proof of that. Tuffnut's the closest to me, so I opt to sweep one of his legs to throw him off balance before shoving him into his sister, knocking them both to the ground.

I don't have the time to finish them off with the sheath, as Astrid comes right back in for an wide strike.

Her axe lands against my shield, but it wasn't a direct hit that she was looking for. She's keeping me busy so that her friends can recover, but if no one covers for her, she's wide open for me.

"Snotlout!" She barks out an order to one of the other three standing idle to join in before I can take her down. She's clearly given this some thought with what little time she had. The bold little girl's still pushing against my shield with her axe in an attempt to keep me locked down but it only lasts for another second. I force the cleaver down towards the ground before kicking her away. She quickly abandons her weapon and instead chooses to catch my leg with both her hands.

Not a bad strategy. Like this, it's harder for me to get away before Snotlout reaches me. Although, if it's just two of them, then there's no real problem. The boy's mace meets my sheath head on, sending a slight tingle down my arm. I don't particularly care about the weapon though, as much as I do him. The moment I see his hand fly back from having the strike deflected, I drop the sheath in my left hand and instead grab Snotlout by his shirt. If he reacted quick enough, perhaps he could grab my arm and take another swing with his mace, but there's no time for that.

I toss him towards Astrid, knocking both of the recruits off their feet and freeing my leg. The twins are back up now, but they're not making a move just yet. Neither are Hiccup or Fishlegs. Before any of them move in, I pick up my sheath off the ground and kick the other two weapons back to their owners.

"Two people at a time isn't a strategy. Coordinate better."

Astrid pushes herself off the ground with a groan of frustration, grabbing her axe as she does. I need a way to provoke the two more cowardly members of the group to attack without just knocking them out immediately.

Well, let's try a straightforward approach.

Breaking away from the four vikings attempting to surround me, I make a break for Fishlegs, my shield raised. If he runs away, I'll just tap him on the neck with my sheath. But, if he stands his ground, maybe things will get interesting. The round boy yelps, but he doesn't turn. He certainly cowers, but his hammer is still somewhat pointed towards me, so that's enough. I drop the shield and begin to make my assault on his weapon with my sheath, as if to disarm him. His hand shudders with each hit, but now he's actually looking at me, waving his hammer frantically to try and keep me back.

If I wanted to, I could have disarmed him several times over, but that's not the point. The question here is, who will be the first one to try and come to his rescue while I'm focused on him.

After a few more strikes, Fishlegs' expression grows a bit more pitiful, and his grip on his weapon is getting looser. I thought this might happen, but he has no intent of striking back, only defending and waiting. "Don't just stand there and take it!" I holler back a provocation at the boy, hoping to get him to actually make a strike at me. Even if I deflect it, it's still something. My words seem to have gone unheard though, as my next swing knocks the hammer from the boy's hands, leaving him and his neck defenseless.

The same moment his hammer hits the ground, I hear hurried footsteps coming up behind me. Unconcerned with Fishlegs, I turn around to bat away another attempt at an attack, this time from Snotlout. It looks like Astrid's been slowly creeping up behind me while I was occupied with Fishlegs, while the twins look more or less confused what to do. Oddly enough though, I don't see Hiccup.

"Little late to be coming to his rescue, don't you think?" I knock away another swing of Snotlout's mace with my shield, keeping my eyes on Astrid as I do. The fact that I don't see Hiccup worries me, but there's only so many places in this open arena he could be. Still, I have to focus on the problem at hand here.

Despite having knocked his weapon away twice, Snotlout doesn't seem to have the slightest intent of backing down. He raises his mace above his head for what looks like an overhead strike. His body's wide open and I could just knock him away, but at the same time, Astrid's decided to rush in.

"Now!" She shouts out to the others. Like clockwork, the twins make their approach, practically shoulder to shoulder. But, the ones in front of me aren't the ones I'm worried about.

It's Hiccup.

While the four in front of me make their charge, Hiccup springs out from behind one of the racks that he was hiding in earlier, using his small size to his advantage. I'm not sure if he crafted this plan or if he just went with the flow, but either way, their trap is sprung now. It's a sound strategy, and I might even say that it'd work on a dragon. Part of me wants to grant them the win here, but there's still more they can learn.

If I were to take the time to deflect Snotlout's strike, I'd probably end up getting hit by Astrid or Hiccup. But, my escape plan lies in the fact that the twins are so close together. Behind me is almost entirely open, aside from Fishlegs. Even then, he still doesn't have a weapon, so I can pass by him rather harmlessly.

I shift back an inch or two before vaulting away from the group. In complete fairness to the recruits, they have no reason to think that I'd be acrobatic. As I flip through the air, I grab the twins' spears and jerk them towards the empty space underneath me. Like dominoes, they end up crashing into Astrid, knocking both her and Snotlout off balance. Hiccup's attempt at a sneak attack ends up meeting nothing but air as I land harmlessly next to Fishlegs. He yelps again in fear, but he's made no real attempt to run away, so I tap his neck with my sheath. The cold steel makes him shudder, but his reaction is quickly replaced with a disappointed, "Oh."

"Not bad. That could've worked on a dragon. But..."

I point my sheath towards the twins, both of them groaning as they pick themselves off the ground yet again.

"Don't get in each others' way. If I didn't grab your weapons, you probably would have ended up hurting each other. Spread out more, and you can all react to one another that much easier."

I turn my sheath to the now "dead" viking retrieving his hammer off the ground. "And Fishlegs. Fight back."

He jumps a bit from having been addressed directly before hanging his head shamefully. "Y-Yes, sir."

"Now then..." I turn back to the rest of the party, swinging my sheath through the air once again. "If you all don't strike first, then I'll have to pick up the pace."

It's a cheap provocation, but my desire is made clear to the recruits. I want to see them fight for real, and I can't do that if they just sit back and wait for me to move. I expected Astrid to be the first one to move again, but Snotlout surprises me by stepping forward first.

"I'll show you guys what a real viking looks like. Just try to follow my lead."

With a renewed spirit, he makes a charge at me with his mace. He swings it at an odd angle, not even bothering to aim at my body, but instead my sheath. The weapon glances off the metal scabbard, but before I can regain my bearings, Astrid is attacking me from the other side. One another another, a refreshing tempo. Both of the trainees run past me while making a sweeping blow with their weapons, but the dance doesn't end there. Now the twins are charging at me head on, spears aimed head on at me.

"That's right, just like that!" I shout back, smiling in excitement. I deflect the two spears with a quick Shield Attack, just barely managing to recover from Astrid's strike. I can tell that's not the end of this composition, but I don't have the time to turn around. Still, I don't need to see the attack if it doesn't hit me. I drop low, and just as I expected, I hear the sound of a blade shearing air above me, followed by a grunt of frustration. There's no time to entertain her attempt though, as Snotlout is still free to swing at me again. I tuck my body in and roll, making my way past the newly opened gap between the twins. Of course, the maneuver puts me right in front of the only competitor yet to participate in the latest measure of this battle ballad.

"Hiccup!" Astrid is the one that shouts his name, either as a warning or an order. Hiccup hesitates for a second, but decides to try a weak swing of his axe, aimed diagonally towards my "sword" arm. Both of his hands are being put into the swing, yet it's still too slow to try and catch me off guard. I catch the axe against the side of my sheath and jerk my hand back, wrenching the weapon free from his hands.

"Stronger grip."

Hiccup lurches forward with his axe, landing right into my shoulder. Funny enough, this awkward position stops me from making the finishing blow to his neck. The sound of boots beating against stone behind me forces me to turn around, Hiccup in tow, to face my newest aggressor.

It's Snotlout again.

His mace is out by his side, so I consider myself free to shove Hiccup at him, knocking them both over yet again. Astrid wastes no time in jumping over both of them, however, her own axe raised up high. She brings it down on me, but a simple sidestep results in her weapon embedding itself into the stone arena. I take aim at her neck and thrust my sheath, fully intent on taking out the party's strongest link.

Since this is still just a lesson, I'm not quite able to strike with the same speed that I normally would. After all, a weapon's still a weapon, and the neck is a fragile area. This hesitation allows Astrid to abandon her weapon and retreat back behind the twins, who're making another attempt at hitting me. This time though, rather than attacking together like they've been doing, they try a new strategy. Ruffnut dips behind her brother for a second, only to put all her force into kicking him at me.

The plan was neither coordinated nor planned, judging by Tuffnut's indignant, "Hey!"

Her sudden strategy admittedly catches me off guard, and Tuffnut crashing into my chest causes me to stagger backwards, albeit not fall over. I only have a second to shove him off before his sister is already upon me, taking a wild swing with her spear. Just like the other attempts, I'm able to deflect it with my shield, but the combination of my being off balance with Ruffnut's speedy approach is making me sloppy.

I'm forced to take a step back to regain my form, but Tuffnut recovers surprisingly quickly, coming back at me with a thrust of his spear. Again, I narrowly block it, but I'm pushed back another step. The brother and sister duo keep up their attacks, and soon enough, Snotlout joins the fray, forcing me to stave off his axe with my sheath.

Despite my position, I can't help but smile. Hylian knights pack more of a punch than these kids, but not nearly as much spirit. Smacking away another spear, I shout some praises at the three trainees. Their grins only grow wider in response, and their tempo quickening even more. Ironically, their inability to work together is what makes this so tricky for me. Their attacks are barely coordinated, but it's that very thing which makes it difficult for me to get a handle on their movements.

While I'm busy dealing with the main three, Astrid finds the time to circle around to my right side. Ruffnut uses the moment of confusion to smack my shield outwards, which Astrid eagerly grabs onto. For whatever reason, I'm unable to fling her off from my arm. Perhaps it's because I'm trying to block three other trainees at the same time, but either way, she's glued to my shield.

Luckily Snotlout and the twins haven't realized that they'd win if they all attacked together, nor do I intend to give them the chance to discover that. Astrid's pulling on my shield has already made it loose, so I just let go of it. She falls to the ground with the hunk of metal and like that, my right side is that much lighter.

The constant attacks from the three recruits has already pushed me back against the wall, but ironically, that's probably the best place for me to be right now. I duck to the side to avoid another swing from Snotlout before going low under the trio's weapons. I kick against the wall, throwing me forward between the group. I'm not being cornered anymore, but this new situation isn't much better. Snotlout passes Astrid her axe while the others slowly circle around me. Hiccup seems to have gotten the memo, as he picks a spot cutting off my escape.

"This was my idea, by the way," Snotlout proclaims.

"Wait, it was? I didn't even know we had a plan." Tuffnut offers a bewildered expression in response, to which Snotlout just rolls his eyes.

"Can we focus!" Astrid snaps at the both of them this time, eyes locked on me. "One hit. That's all we need."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" I turn towards Ruffnut now, who has her spear eagerly raised towards me.

Without my shield and no escape, I'll have to resort to another method. I might as well put both hands to my sheath if I'm not going to be using the other to defend, anyways.

I take a deep breath in before lowering my stance, exhaling as I bend my knees. My weapon goes out at my side and I slowly focus my strength.

My most reliable technique throughout my many battles and adventures. It's so simple that even a child could perform it, yet it's so very effective in a large group like this. At the peak of my health, I can feel the attack being imbued with my full vitality. It makes no difference, since I'm not using a sword, but the extra force should knock them all back. u

I look back at Astrid, daring the de facto leader to give the order. Her eyes shift about her teammates, but she lays them back on me before gripping her axe, fully resolute.

"Go!"

The moment she shouts, all of her teammates leap to action. The twins take a straightforward approach, charging with their spears up. Snotlout's going for a wide sweep, Hiccup with a similar diagonal swing, and lastly Astrid, the only one to try a jump attack.

Doesn't matter, though.

I swing my sheath around, creating an impassable whirlwind of metal around me. A battle roar escapes my mouth as I twirl, unleashing the full brunt of the Great Spin Attack. Normally the magical cyclone would inflict heavy damage to anything around me, but the combination of using a sheath in place of a sword along with the low magical content of this place just sends the recruits flying back. I don't even think I made contact with any of them, the shockwave alone was enough to repel any attack.

The group all land on their backs, their weapons being thrown from them. Ignoring the groans of pain coming from each of the recruits, I leisurely walk over to Astrid and tap her on the neck with my sheath. Her eyes practically fling open, but her expression quickly washes over with disappointment at having been eliminated.

"Maybe I went a little overboard..." The thought crosses my mind as no one bothers to offer any resistance anymore. They all just wait for me to walk over and tap them on the neck. No one looks hurt, at the very least, so that's something. Even Hiccup doesn't have a single scratch on him, just some messy clothes and a slightly fractured ego.

"That wasn't bad, though." Having finished off the last recruits, I rest the royal sheath against my shoulder while I walk over to pick up my shield. Before I continue to speak, I start trying to get my gear back on and properly strapped to my back. Turns out it's a lot easier to take off all this gear than it is to get it back on.

"Surrounding me was a good plan. You all worked together much quicker than I'd expected."

Praise where praise is due, the kids did some good work, despite being defeated.

"Y'know," Hiccup groans after finally deciding to get up off the ground. "That doesn't feel so reassuring after you took us all out at once."

"Speak for yourself. I wanna learn how to do that spinny move." Tuffnut seems to be oddly entranced by the Great Spin, and somehow I feel like it's for the best that I never teach it to him as long as I live.

Finally getting all the straps in the right place, I slip the belt into its buckle and tug. "Don't sweat it, I'm a knight. If I'd lost to you all, I'd probably have to retire."

"What's a knight?"

Ah right, vikings.

"It's the opposite of day, dummy," Ruffnut snaps back at Snotlout.

Close, but no.

"Not exactly." I walk over towards the entrance to reclaim my sword. Fishlegs flinched a bit in the waiting area as I slash the air a couple of times out of habit.

"Where I'm from, knights are people like me tasked with protecting the people and our queen."

"Why can't your people protect themselves?"

Astrid asks the question in such a matter-of-fact way that it catches me off guard. Still, I can get why she would think like that.

"Not everyone's cut out for battle." I picked the easiest answer I could, but even that seems to have had an unintended effect. Half of the eyes in the arena turn towards Hiccup, who then looks at the ground in silent frustration.

"If you've got less people runnin' around and gettin' themselves killed, then it sounds like blessing to me."

Nayru's graces, I'd actually forgotten Gobber was here. His voice even startles me a bit.

"You were awfully quiet for most of that."

"What, me? I can admire a good show when I see one," he replies with a coy chuckle. "Well then, that's enough for now, recruits. Get yourselves some rest. We'll meet up later in the Great Hall for dinner."

With a swing of his hook in the air, the arena slowly disperses with a mess of mutters and vacant conversation following it. Hiccup lingers for a moment in the middle of the arena, earning a pitied glance from Astrid. She walks off in a hurry when she notices that I was watching both of them, leaving just myself, Gobber, and the downcast boy as the last ones in the arena.

Gobber and I both look to Hiccup before our gazes meet one another. I silently convey the message of "I got this," with a nod before walking over to Hiccup. He jumps a little bit when he feels my hand on his head, but looks up at me anyways as I tussle his hair.

"Come on, let's get something to eat."

Something tells me he's going to try to run off somewhere on his own if I don't keep an eye on him. Might as well get a hold of him for a bit.

"Oh, I'm uh... not hungry."

Uh-huh, sure. "Then just humor me for a bit, and then you can go. You're not that busy, right?"

"Who, me? Nah, of course not."

He's doing the thing where he waves his hands all exaggerated again. This boy is many things, but a good liar is certainly not one of them.

"It's just, uh... I figured you'd want to go with some of the more viking-like ones like... Astrid?"

I shake my head at his suggestion, but for some reason he tries again.

"Snotlout?"

I grimace this time, although not consciously.

"...The twins?"

The glance I send back at him can only be described as a silent "really?"

"Okay, yeah, that's fair." Even he seems to understand the nonsense in it. "But seriously, why me?"

I let out a heavy sigh and roll my eyes, half admiring his stubbornness while half condemning it. I walk over to him until my mouth is practically inches from his ear.

"If I leave you alone, I know you're going to that forest. So how about we talk about what you _should_ do, and you don't do anything reckless."

Just loud enough for Hiccup and Hiccup alone to hear, I make my demand to the boy. It's posed as an offer, but it's clear that there's no room for disagreement in this case. If he does try to go to the forest, I'll just follow him anyways to make sure he doesn't get himself killed.

He looks back at me with an exasperated expression for a moment, but nods anyways.

We both stand there in silence for a little bit, Hiccup looking around the arena awkwardly. "So..."

"I was serious about getting food, you know."

Waving off his hasty apology, I simply gesture towards the gate of the arena for him to take the lead. He complies, albeit muttering something to himself as he walks out the door. It looks like Gobber's already left while we were talking, so I'm the last one in the arena.

Against my better judgement, I turn back towards the cages holding the many different dragons that these kids were meant to train with. I look over my shoulder to see if anyone is around, and like I thought, there's no one in sight. Even the sounds of Hiccup's footsteps are fading away ever so softly.

Like a man possessed, I slowly drift over to the massive door holding back the Gronckle that I'd just knocked out earlier. As I get closer and closer, I lift my hand up towards the lever that opens the gate, nothing but air separating me and the mechanism. An intrusive thought makes itself known to me at this particular point in time.

I could free it.

A second later, my hand is gripping the level tightly. A simple thrust downwards is the only thing separating the caged dragon and another chance at pulverizing me.

That's how I'm trying to rationalize against pulling the lever. It would certainly try to kill me again, wouldn't it? Just like that other dragon in the forest. Just like the ones from the attack the other night.

...But not like _that_ one.

I'm so caught up in my own thoughts that I don't even notice the mark on my left hand dimly shining.

"Not now."

I take my hand off the lever and step away, returning to my senses. I turn away again from the gates with a frustrated growl and shake away any more thoughts to the contrary that try to wriggle their way into my mind.

"Link?"

Hiccup's voice carries over from the bridge all the way to where I am, thanks to my hearing.

I click my tongue, but decide that I shouldn't spend any more time here before I try to do something foolish again. I make a rather hasty exit out through the large gate of the arena towards Hiccup, who's standing at the edge of the bridge with a worried expression.

A sigh escapes my lips, but I just usher him on nonetheless. I don't make an effort to change the expression on my own face, but Hiccup doesn't press on the matter further, either out of fear or understanding.

It's a rather simple message anyways, whether he gets it or not.

This isn't the face of a troubled man, or someone who's in over his head. I'm not confused or scared.

I've simply got a lot of work to do here.


End file.
